Scott tests the pen by writing "Herculean" on his finger.

Scott decided to test it out first. He thought the best way to test it was to write the word "Herculean" on his left pointer finger. If it didn't work, few people would notice or care about a word written on his left pointer finger.

He was a little afraid that the sharp point of the pen might scratch him but when he started writing, he was surprised by how smooth and easy it was. The pen didn't leave any mark. There was no scratch. There was no blood. But there was also no ink. The pen was completely out of ink.

Scott thought, 'Oh well, it's still a nice pen and I can refill it.' So he put the pen in his pocket and continued walking.

He walked to the nearest convenience store for a snack and a soda. People in the store did seem to act a little different today. They gave Scott extra space. Their faces did not express disgust but expressed respect instead. People who didn't even know him immediately saw him as someone deserving of extra respect. Scott didn't understand because no one said anything different than the usual banter. But even on Scott's way home, people would step aside and give him extra space.

He went home and started noticing differences there as well. His dad asked, "How did you get so big when you eat so little?"

(Btw, Scott is an adult. He still lives with his parents but he is an adult.)

Scott said, "I don't want to get fat."

Dad said, "You can afford a little fat to go with all that muscle."

Scott played on his computer until supper. While playing, his friend Andrew asked, "What's your secret?"

"Secret? What are you talking about?"

Andrew said, "You play computer games all day with me. How did you get so buff?"

Scott looked down at his average arms, "I'm not buff. You're more athletic than me."

Andrew said, "That's true but somehow, you got the bigger muscles. How?"

Scott was confused but his mom called for supper. When he stepped into the kitchen, she asked, "Did you have another growth spurt?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Your head almost touches the ceiling. When your looking for an apartment you need to watch out for ceiling fixtures or you'll be bumping your head a lot."

Scott looked up at the ceiling that was still a few feet above his head. He wasn't any taller than he had been yesterday.

While he was still trying to figure that out, his dad came up and whispered to him, "You might want to adjust your bulge."

"What?"

Dad tried to speak confidentially so no one else could hear, "I know it's hard for you being so big down there but people are going to judge you if they see that big bulge you always have."

Scott looked down at his average bulge, no bigger than any other man's bulge. He sat down quickly hiding his bulge in embarrassment. What was going on? Why was everyone treating him like he was Herculean?