Nikodemus gulped, hopping down from the fence and staring down at his shoes with his hands clasped behind his back. He approached Father until he was only four inches away from him. He did his best to look ashamed of his actions. Nikodemus was a smart kid, and he knew that the best policy was honesty when he was caught doing something wrong. “Sorry dad. We were just playing…”

Nikodemus looked up at his father.

Being a pygmy human, he was considerably small for a twelve-year-old (even smaller than his younger brother), and his father was incredibly tall in comparison to them both because he was not a pygmy and he was an adult.

Father looked incredibly disappointed, which shocked Nikodemus. His father would always chide them and punish them when they were bad, but Nikodemus had never seen him display such a fearsome look of frustration in all of his young life.

“You’re getting too old for this sort of thing, Nikodemus…” Father muttered plaintively. “You’re with Mom today. You’re going to be cleaning the house. And you, Carl, you’re with me today. You’re going to help me tend to all the animals. The sheep need shaving, the hyenas need feeding, and the horses need shoeing.”

Nikodemus was aghast. “With Mom? But Carl is supposed to be the one with Mom! I don’t like cleaning and Carl does and anyway—”

“Nikodemus.” Father interrupted, rubbing his temples, his head clearly hurting. “You’re not getting any bigger, but Carl is. I need someone who can help me finish tasks faster on the ranch.”

“But Carl is a baby compared to me! He doesn’t have the knowledge to help you on the ranch!” Nikodemus retorted. “This is just a punishment for today, right? You don’t plan for him to take my place from now on?”

Carl was silent as he watched his brother protest. He didn’t want to anger either his father or brother.

Father chose his words carefully. “You can still help, but Carl is going to be my right-hand man from now on. The tribes we sell to are getting more and more demanding—if we intend to keep the ranch and remain neutral in their squabbles, then we have to tend to their demands faster.”

“Fine! Be that way!” Nikodemus yelled, throwing down the hat that shielded his head from the sun and heading towards his home that housed dozens of ranch-hands as well as his own family.

The house was three stories high with a white body and a brown, brick roof. Because the tribes stayed on neutral ground with ranchers, there was no need for a high security, high tech home, which suited Nikodemus’ family well. The mutant that their family had captured and made into their scientist didn’t know how to make the reinforced, high-tech fortresses like the other mutants did, after all. She knew how to install a working plumbing system and irrigation system, and even an air conditioning system, but knew little else.

Nikodemus opened the door to his house and stepped inside, still grumbling under his breath about how he wanted to be Father’s right-hand man.

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The house was always bustling. Staff—made up mostly of women—were constantly washing clothes, doing dishes, cleaning, and cooking.

A woman ran by carrying a heap-full of laundry, nearly bumping Nikodemus.

Nikodemus looked to his right, through the open archway and into the kitchen.

Running water from the kitchen sink filled his ears as a woman wearing an apron scrubbed grime off of a dish. Another woman gently pushed her knife down on a cutting board, slicing dime-sized pieces of carrots off the stick. His mother busily swept the kitchen floor, carefully maneuvering around the other women in the room. She wiped sweat from her forehead with a sigh and a frown.

When she saw Nikodemus looking at her, she brightened. She waved to him with her winning smile.

Nikodemus returned her smile, strolling through the open archway and into the tile floor kitchen. Mother could brighten anyone’s day, and Nikodemus was certainly no exception. Even with disheveled hair and wearing a plain work dress, she looked like an angel.

“What are you doing inside, Nicky? Aren’t you supposed to be helping Dad with the animals?” Mother asked.

Nikodemus sighed. “I’m being punished because I dared Carl to jump in the fence with the camels…”

Mother leaned her broom on one of the counters, her forehead furrowed with concern. “Nikodemus, how could you? You know how dangerous that it. Remember how we had to rescue you from the pen of hyenas?”

“Aw, mom… I know that wasn’t my best decision, but—” Nikodemus began.

“Best decision? Nikodemus, you could have been killed. What don’t you understand about that?” Mother chided him with glassy eyes.

In the face of her glistening eyes, Nikodemus crumbled. He whispered, “I’m sorry, Mom. I guess I just wasn’t thinking.”

Mother knelt, gazing into his eyes, judging whether he was sincere. When she was satisfied that he was sincere, she smiled. “Can you help me sweep up? After that, I could use a hand with the laundry.”

Nikodemus nodded eagerly, wanting nothing more than to please his parents, and especially his sensitive mother, who had cried for an hour when he had jumped into the pen with the hyenas before.

Later, while the pair gathered the bedsheets for all the workers in the house, placing them in several different baskets, Nikodemus asked with a sigh, “I just don’t get it, Mom. Why did God curse me with such a large head and such a useless body? I’ll never be of use to anyone on the ranch…”

Mother, who was sweeping the blanket off a bed with a flourish, said absently, “Don’t be so pessimistic, Nicky. I hardly think God has cursed you. If anything, I think God has blessed you. It may be very likely that pygmies are the next step in evolution for the human race.”

Nikodemus raised an eyebrow as he mirrored his mother’s movements, yanking the blanket off a bed next to the one Mother had un-blanketed. Unlike Mother, however, Nikodemus ended up getting swallowed by the blanket he had pulled off with a yelp.

Mother giggled and lifted the blanket off her son, who was crossing his arms indignantly when he was unveiled.

“You see what I mean?” Nikodemus muttered. “How could there be anything good about being so tiny and lacking so much muscle!”

Mother smiled gently. “Put that blanket in the basket for me, please.”

Nikdoemus nodded, retaining a miserable frown on his face as he collected the blanket and plopped it into the wicker laundry basket.

“You’re very smart. You helped Angelina design the plumbing and irrigation system; not only that, but you’re acing your math and writing homework. Have you ever thought that God gave you such a big head so that you could use it?” Mother asked. “Perhaps if you keep getting smarter and smarter, there will be no need for us to capture and use mutants to construct out buildings and technology.”

Nikodemus smiled at that. “Maybe you’re right, Mom! Maybe I can design the greatest fortress ever! Maybe I can even design a spaceship so we can leave this planet!”

“You’re destined for great things, Nicky.” Mother affirmed.

She always knew just how to cheer him up.