A little girl whose family has been split up by divorce is led by a ghost to some e with the power to warp the personal realities of those who roll them. Using them to make herself a teenager, and her teenage sister a little girl, she starts a chase to bring her home and set things right. Then, as her mom begins to understand the dice's potential, she comes up with a plan to get back at the trophy wife who stole her husband. But, when she learns the dice's true origins, which are linked to tragedy and death, the mom questions what to do next.
Lindsay looked at her kid sister. “So, whatcha wanna do?”
“I wanna be big like you. I wish I was big like you.”
Lindsay chuckled. “You will be eventually. You heard Mom. So, what do you want to play?”
“I want to play Magic Dice. It won’t take long. You can’t play too long.”
“Okay.” Lindsay looked around. “Where do we play?” “Here on the floor.” Mia plopped into a sitting position on the hardwood floor. “You sit with me.”
“Okay.” Lindsay sat. “I’ve never heard of this game. How do you play?”
“We each take a dice.”
“A die,” Lindsay corrected. “One is a die, two are dice.”
“Oh.” The correction didn’t seem to bother Mia. “So, we each get a die. I get the big one so I get bigger. You get the small one so you get smaller.”
Lindsay smiled at her sister’s make-believe game. “But I don’t want to be smaller.”
“You have to roll both dice for the magic to work.” Mia’s green eyes were imploring.
Lindsay shrugged. “Give me my die.” She looked at both dice, tucking a strand of brown hair behind her ear. Her die was noticeably smaller than Mia’s. The dice looked handmade, and very old. “Where did you get these?”
“I found them digging in my garden.” Mia’s wavy blonde hair bounced around her head.
“They look it. Now what?”
“Now we just roll the dice,” Mia said.
Lindsay nodded. “Let’s roll.”
The two girls each rolled a one. “Snake eyes,” Lindsay clapped.
Mia shook her head. “We need to roll again. That’s not enough.”
Lindsay still didn’t understand this game, but went along. This time, Lindsay rolled a three and Mia a six.
Mia looked up at Lindsay. “That’s better. We can go again. Do you want to?”
“Why not?” They rolled again. This time, Lindsay rolled a two and Mia a one.
Lindsay tilted her head. “One more time?”
“Really?” Mia seemed genuinely surprised. “You’d let me be that big?”
“Sure.” Lindsay nodded. “Let’s roll.”
Mia rolled a three. Then Lindsay tossed a four.
Lindsay bounced once as she sat. “Wanna go again?”
Mia shook her head. “We can’t. You might get too little.” The little girl got up and kissed her big sister on the cheek. “Thanks, little sis.”
Lindsay smiled. “You’re welcome, big sis.”
Mia grabbed the dice and bounced out of the room.
Lindsay chuckled, then yawned. That hadn’t been too bad. Lindsay found herself getting very sleepy.
A few minutes later, Jennifer called up the stairs, saying dinner was ready. Lindsay put on her flip-flops. She staggered downstairs, eating very little while Mia scarfed down thirds.
As she went back upstairs, Lindsay’s flip-flops slipped off as she reached the top step. They seemed too big, and her form-fitting jeans seemed loose. So sleepy she couldn’t think straight, Lindsay collapsed onto bed, barely getting the covers over her before she passed out.
Early Saturday morning, Lindsay heard someone at her closet. She looked over groggily. “Hmm?”
“It’s just me. I’m just borrowing some clothes.”
The figure Lindsay saw through her sleep was tall and slim. She held up a t-shirt and some jeans.
“Hmm.” The figure glanced at her feet. “A little small, but it’ll have to do. And my feet are so big. I’ll have to make the flip-flops work ‘til I can figure out a replacement.”
The figure leaned down and kissed a sleepy Lindsay’s right cheek. “I love you, little sis. Thanks.”
Through the haze of her sleepiness, Lindsay knew the kiss. “Luv you, Mia.” She went back to sleep.
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Mac Rome is a lifelong resident of the Great Lakes region of the United States. He’s experienced life in the Appalachian foothills, along the Ohio river and in the flatlands of the former Great Black Swamp, and in large cities, small towns and rural areas. He’s a student of ancient lore and mythology and a lover of cultural exploration, history and dialects. He writes fantasy, science fiction and romance.
