Rick pulled up into the driveway as the garage door opened for him. He slowly drove the Santa Fe into the garage. Once this was done, he parked the SUV, shut it off, and stepped out of the car. He walked around the back and down the driveway to check on the mail. Rick lived on a dead end street where there were only eight houses including his. The dead end street of the small Illinois town that was named Bisaillon Avenue was barren of life forms other than him as he walked down the driveway. This made sense though, because the kids were still in school. It was noon after all. Though, he knew the punk kids would become rowdy after school and cause racquet. The only reason he was at home was because he was a college student and his classes were done for the day.

        Rick made it only halfway down the driveway when the quiet was ended. The neighbor's Chiwawa came barreling out of their open garage and into Rick's front yard. He sighed as the small dog yapped continually. His neighbors were retired and the husband spent a lot of time sitting in the garage in a lawn chair. The dog joined his owner while he sat in the lawn chair, usually only wearing boxers to show off his glutinous body. They never had the little brown Taco Bell dog on a leash and it ran up and barked at anything that moved, especially people and other dogs.

        Why is it that the little dogs are the insane ones and always try picking fights with things much larger than them? Rick wondered, Must have Napoleon Complex or something.

        Rick just ignored the dog for now and opened the mailbox. The dog was annoying, but it never bit anyone that Rick knew of. So, there was nothing to be threatened by the yipping creature near his ankles. There was no mail and Rick closed it up again. He turned his attention to the barking dog again and crouched down in front of it. The dog jumped back by his sudden movement. Rick smiled and said, "I guess you're all bark and no action. Isn't that right, big guy?"

     Rick walked back in the garage, pulling out his cell phone. He called his mother's work number, because she was always a worry wart and wanted Rick and Candice, Rick's sister, to call her when they were home from wherever they came from, whether it was school, work, or from a friend's house. As the phone rang, Rick grabbed his black backpack from the passenger seat and walked into the house while closing the garage door. His mom's answering machine came on and he left a message to say he was home. Once he did that, he set his pack on the living room floor and started up his Playstation 3 with the intention of playing Modern Warfare 2. It was a Friday and he had no work that night or any school the next day.

        Rick was just an average and seemingly ordinary nineteen year old who went to the Community Collage closest to him. There wasn't anything abnormal or unique about him except that he had a bit of a macro and micro fetish, but he never let that run his life or let that interfere with making stories with an actual plot. He was about average height for his age even though a lot of his friends just so happened to be taller or shorter than him. He was a little skinny when it came to muscle, but he wasn't a weakling either. Karate classes helped that out. He also had brown medium length hair that was parted in the middle and sky blue eyes.
    
        

        Eventually, Rick's sister came home from school. Candice was a pretty fourteen year old with brown hair that reached her shoulder blades and hazel eyes. She was slightly tall for her age, and her height reached the shoulders of her brother who was about 5'11". Candice was very thin for her age, but she was still a healthy girl. Rick and Candice had a normal brother and sister relationship. They fought and argued with each other, but deep down, since they were family, they loved each other and would do almost anything for each other.

        It was just a normal day, and nothing out of the ordinary happened except for their mom calling them to tell them she'd be late coming home from work. So, Rick fixed them some dinner. Nothing fancy, just mac and cheese. After dinner, Rick asked, "You want to watch a movie together?"

        "Sure," Candice answered. When Candice had been younger and Rick had to watch her alone, Candice didn't like to sleep without their mom being around. So, when Rick had to watch her, they popped in a movie and they watched it together to help her fall asleep. She was older now and didn't need her mom to fall asleep, but Rick and Candice still watched a movie together when they were home alone. It had become a tradition. They both fell asleep while watching the movie, Rick on the armchair and Candice on the couch. Little did they know, their lives would change forever.

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        Rick slowly started to wake up and very quickly realized something was wrong. Why am I lying on the floor? Did I move from the chair to the floor in my sleep? Rick was lying on the floor with his eyes still closed and his arms at his sides flat against the ground. Rick rubbed his hands against the ground, but he didn't feel the carpet under his palms. No, he felt something longer between his fingers. Rick grabbed what he was feeling and pulled it out of the ground. He brought his hand to his face and opened his eyes. He saw green grass in his hand and the canopies of large trees high above past his hand with blue sky and some white clouds beyond those trees could be seen through the spaces the canopy couldn't cover. Sunlight also cascaded down from those empty spaces in the canopy like ribbons of light reaching for the Earth.

        Rick shot up in a sitting position with his hands supporting him from behind and his legs still straight out. He looked around, but he still had troubles believing what he was seeing. He closed his eyes and opened them after counting to three, but the scenery around him did not change. He was in the middle of a large forest, but it was nothing like the one near his hometown. This was a different forest he had never been to. "What the hell?" Rick asked aloud as he stood up and continued to examine the sights around him.

        He had no idea where he was or how he had gotten there. Believing this might be a dream, Rick touched the nearest tree trunk, half expecting to not feel it at all or maybe pass through it. However, the tree trunk was solid and felt like bark. Plus, Rick felt awake and the world around him didn't look like the world of a dream. Things looked too realistic oppose to the surreal surroundings of a dream. However, there was still something very strange about the forest. The forest looked very old and wild as if it had not yet been tamed by man. Nowadays, very few forests on Earth seemed untamed. It was a rare thing on this modern age to come by. Because of this, the forest seemed foreign and unreal to Rick. If this isn't a dream, where am I? Rick thought to himself, If this is real, than someone bought me here and they might still be around.

        "Hello? Anyone out there?" Rick called out, but no one answered. Rick continued to call out to anybody as he walked through the forest, but not a single human showed up. "At least I fell asleep in my normal clothes or I'd be in my pajamas right now," Rick muttered to himself as he continued to walk with a pair of blue jeans and a plain white t-shirt. Rick had no shoes on, however, and only wore socks, but that's what happened when you have carpeted floors and had to take your shoes off when you walked into the house.
    
       

        Rick didn't know it, but he had somehow been sent into another dimension. He also didn't know that he wasn't the only one who was sent into that same dimension.

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        Candice could hear whispers all around her which caused Candice to start walking up. "Quiet down," Candice whined as she turned onto her side, "It's Saturday, let me sleep a little longer." As she began to become more aware of her senses, she noticed something odd. The surface beneath her didn't feel like the soft and comfortably large couch. Also, the back of the couch that she expected to bury her face into when she turned to her other side could not be found. Her covers were gone and the pillow was no longer between her head and hands. The surface beneath her felt like hard and worn dirt. None of it made sense to Candice and she wondered if she was still dreaming or her mind was somewhere between dream and reality.

        The whispers all around her never stopped and Candice opened her eyes, expecting to see her brother and mother, but instead she saw many pairs of old brown and black leather shoes that had pointed toes. Legs stalked from all of those shoes which were either covered in dirty and tattered pants or old ugly dresses, well old and ugly in Candice's opinion. The women wore dresses that were green, brown, or dark and dirty versions of other colors. The men wore a tunic of similar colors.

        Candice shrieked and jumped to a sitting position. Candice propped herself up with her hands behind her and she kept both knees bent upwards. She was ready to jump to her feet and run if she had to. She was as frightened as a trapped rabbit among hunters. Her sudden movement caused fear in the crowd and they jumped back a bit, but still surrounded her. Candice darted her eyes around and saw that she was not in her room, but in a small village that looked like something out of a medieval movie where the houses looked like huts.  The whole village was crowded around Candice because she was in the center of their main dirt road. None of the dirty peasant looking people looked at all happy that she was there.

        Candice looked at herself and saw that she was still wearing her pajamas. She had pajama bottoms that were completely pink and she wore a black "New Moon" t-shirt on that had the three main characters on the front. She was not wearing any socks and the bottoms of her feet were already getting dirty from the dusty dirt that made up the road. Candice took in deep breaths and she tried to remember how she got here and what was happening, but the last thing she remembered was watching a movie on the couch and falling asleep. 

        "I told you we should have killed her!" a man from the crowd yelled, "Now the witch is awake!"

        "W-witch?" Candice quivered.

        "You appeared out of thin air in our village. What else could you be?" the same man argued.

        A women then questioned, "Why are you tormenting our village with your presence, witch?"

        "I'm not a witch. I don't know how I got here. Please, I just want to go home."

        "We should burn her now!" another lady shrieked, "Before she turns us all into newts." The crowd cheered at this suggestion and closed in on Candice.

        "No, Please," Candice begged. She tried to fend off the crowd, but it was no use. No matter how much she screamed, kicked, or tried to pull free from their grimy hands, she could not escape. There were far too many of them.

        The crowd forced her to a wooden cart that had a pole on it. They tied Candice to the pole as Candice cried and pleaded to the crowd. A man lit a torch and the crowd cheered with joy, even the crazed children. Candice closed her eyes tight with tears rolling down her cheeks. She feared that there was no hope. She waited for the wood beneath her to be lit, but a man screamed, "Wait!"

        Candice opened her eyes to look at the man who had the attention of everyone else. She had also noticed how close the torch had been to the wood beneath her bare feet. She stared at the man who appeared to be a mayor or maybe the leader of the village because his clothes didn't seem as dirty or old. She was relieved and thought that someone was going to save her. She believed that this man realized she was not a witch.

        "We can feed her to the monster that lives near our town," the man suggested. All of Candice's hopes were dashed away with that single uttered sentence. "We give it sacrifices every few months to keep it from attacking our homes. We can feed it the witch so that we don't have to give it one of our own."

        The crowd cheered like an angry mob again and Candice was doomed once more. The crowd threw the logs off the cart and put out the torch before pushing the cart away from the village with Candice still tied tightly to the wooden pole. Candice tried to break free from the ropes, but she couldn't.  As they pushed, Candice had no doubt in her mind that she was getting closer to her death and there would be nothing she could do about it.

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        Soon, Rick heard water in the distance. If there is a river or something, I can follow it and it might lead to a town, Rick thought. Rick walked in the direction of the sound and soon found it, but there was a problem. He was on a cliff and the river was below. It wasn't that big of a cliff, but big enough to harm him if he just jumped down.

        Rick looked around and saw there was a part of the cliff where it seemed to have broken down and it created a ramp of rocks. Rick knew he could try and go down those rocks, but if he stepped on a loose rock, he could seriously get hurt. "I have no choice. I have to do it," Rick told himself.

        Rick walked to the rocks and tried walking down. He was doing fine till he was about halfway down. Rick stepped on a really loose rock. The rock rolled out from under him and he stumbled. Rick tried to correct his balance, but he fell and rolled down the rocks. He hit his head hard and when he fell onto the grassy ground, he was loosing consciousness. Before his eyes closed all the way, he could see a large shadow cast over him. Before he could see what it was, he lost consciousness.

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        The crowd had already pushed Candice into position and left her to her fate. Candice could only wait for the monster to arrive and devour her. Tears fell freely from her eyes and she thought about not ever seeing her mother, her brother, or the rest of her family and friends ever again. They wouldn't know what happened to her. She'd be eaten by a monster and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

        The cart she was on was near the edge of a large forest. She could hear trees moving as if something large was pushing them to make room for it. Oh God, this monster must be massive, Candice thought as she shivered in complete fear and sadness, waiting for the monster to emerge from the dark forest before her.

        Candice expected to see a terrible monster burst through the forest, but something she didn't predict peeked. A single head poked its way out from the forest between two trees. Candice stared at the face in confusion. The face looked completely human and looked like a boy around her age. A pretty cute and handsome boy, Candice would add. There was only one thing that was troubling about the boy. The head was over one hundred feet off the ground and the head was large. The boy was a giant.

        For a long moment, the boy just stared at Candice from the distance and Candice stood still filled with fear of what the boy might do to her. Long seconds past by and began muttering and praying, "Please. Please, just make him go away. I don't want to be sacrificed to a giant. Who knows what he'd do to me." She had no idea what the giant did to his sacrifices. Maybe he ate them or used the sacrifices as playthings for his own sick pleasures. He could need a sacrifice every few months because he was too rough with them and broke his playthings. Candice could only imagine the sorts of lustful things that could be swimming in the mind of a teenage boy. Candice didn't want to be forced in such experiments. Candice cried more at the thought of this. Oh please don't let me be some sort of sex toy for a giant. Anything but that.

        Candice just continued to stare at giant face in the distance with teary eyes. She had no way of escaping the ropes that bound her to the pole. She was at the complete mercy of a giant, and Candice feared the worst. Long seconds continued to drift by as giant continued to stare at her with only his head poking out of the trees. The giant never averted his gaze from Candice and the stake she was trapped on. Those giant brown eyes brought a serious discomfort to her and she looked down at her bare feet on the wooden surface of the cart. He's been staring at me for a long time. Maybe... Maybe he doesn't want to do anything with me. Maybe he'll just leave. Candice knew that it sounded highly unlikely that the giant was just going to leave her alone, but it was the only hope she had to grasp onto.

        However, all her hopes were yet again dashed away by the giant's next move. The giant suddenly stepped out of the woods and onto the edge of the vast plane. The movement caused Candice to look back up and she examined him in shock and fear. The boy seemed to have an average build, relative to his huge size. Well, he looked a little weaker than he should, though that didn't matter to Candice. The boy was still very large and his muscles were still larger than her entire body since he was about 180 feet tall. So, even if he was a tad bit weaker looking for his age, he was still strong enough to do whatever he wanted with Candice which scared Candice even most of all. Hell, Candice only looked as if she was two inches tall compared to him.

        The body wasn't wearing many clothes. In fact, the boy only wore a loincloth which seemed to be made from animal furs, and a belt with a knife made for a giant attached to the belt. Normally, Candice would appreciate a boy's lack of clothes and admire the boy's body, but she was too scared and shocked to admire the cute body. This boy was a giant and he was walking towards her! Candice's mind was being filled with all the thoughts and ideas of what the giant might want with her and might do to her. None of those thoughts were good and Candice became very afraid.

        The giant walked towards Candice and as he got closer, he began to walk slower. Candice believed the giant was messing with her. She believed the giant was savoring every moment of her despair by approaching slower and slower. Candice closed her eyes and cried. I know he's come here to eat me. I'm the village's sacrifice. Why doesn't he just get over here and finish me off? I have no hope of escaping or fighting him off. Why can't he just get it over with already?

        Candice could hear and feel the giant's footfalls as he approached closer. With each step, the booming sound of his barefoot colliding with the ground got louder and the small quakes were becoming stronger. The quakes weren't too strong though. The boy was gigantic, but nowhere near large enough to cause a massive quake, maybe if he slammed his foot down with all his might, but the boy was walking normally. In fact, the boy was walking more carefully as he approached closer and the quakes were becoming less violent. However, the wooden cart and stake Candice was on still rattled due to the sheer weight of the giant and his footsteps.

        With each increasing footfall, Candice became more scared. Beads of sweat dripped down Candice's face and joined the tears that soaked her cheeks. Candice's heart pounded at the back of her chest just as hard and loud as the giant's footfalls. Candice tightened her eye lids, not wanting to see her approaching doom, but though she couldn't see her doom approaching, she could easily imagine it behind the blackness of the back of her eyelids. Candice shook with fear and shook so much that she no longer knew if it was her shaking or the cart shaking from the footfalls.

        Eventually, the footfalls stopped extremely close to her. Candice tried to force herself to keep her eyes closed, but she was finding it hard to do so. She knew that seeing her own death would be much worse, but she had to just see what was happening. She couldn't let her imagination do all the work. Candice opened her eyes and saw two large bare feet about a few yards away from the cart parallel to each other and supporting two pillars of white flesh and bone. Candice slowly looked up past the giant's loincloth, past his torso, and finally up to the boy's face which looked down at her. The boy's giant eyes were staring straight down at her and she had to lift her head nearly all the way back to see his face.

        The boy began to move and Candice darted her eyes to the movement. The boy's heels lifted off the ground, the pillar legs began to bend, and the torso began to lower. Soon, the boy was sitting on the backs of his heels with his toes still planted firmly on the ground. The ground beneath the balls of his feet compacted from who knows how tons the giant weighed. His thighs and knees formed a V-shape in the air. His hands draped over the space between his legs with his wrists resting in the area close to his knees. Though the face was much closer to Candice now, she still had to look up pretty high.

        For a long moment, Candice and the giant boy just stared at each other. Candice was visibly afraid of the giant before her. Staring up at him was unfortunately all she could do, because there was no way she'd be able to fight the monstrously large giant and she doubted it would listen to her since she wasn't the first sacrifice it must have had. Plus, she was about the size of a modern day action figure to the giant. Why would someone listen to something of that size? Candice continued to cry and shiver as the giant boy looked down at her.

        Eventually, the boy's right hand moved and started reaching down for her. Candice was as fearful as a deer looking upon the oncoming headlights of a moving vehicle. She couldn't even find her voice to scream out. The fingertips of the giant's right hand continued its descent towards her.

        The giant fingertips grow closer and closer to her helpless body, but her breath continued to bury itself deep inside her. She could not avert her eyes away from the large fingers. Inch by inch it closed the gap between them and her breaths became louder. It wasn't until the hand was almost touching her that her scream finally escaped from her lungs. She closed her eyes and turned away as the shriek escaped her throat. The giant hand retreated back and it must have startled the giant, because the earth beneath Candice shook. Candice opened her eyes a bit to see the giant was sitting with his butt on the ground and his legs spread out on each side of the wooden cart Candice was tied to a stake to.

        To Candice's horror, the giant unsheathed his dagger and it approached Candice this time. The dagger's blade was larger than Candice's body and she closed her eyes again. Her muscles tensed up, expecting to be gutted cruelly by the cold blade of the dagger. Snap! Suddenly, she felt the ropes around her fall away. Candice fell onto her butt, still leaning against the stake, causing her to open her eyes.

        The giant boy was already putting away his knife. Candice thought about running away, but she knew that she wouldn't stand a chance against the giant's strides. The giant still had her trapped. The giant looked down at her with sad brown eyes. This confused Candice. Why is the giant sad? Candice wondered.

        Suddenly, the giant got up on his feet, turned around, and slowly started walking back to the forest. Candice watched the giant boy in confusion. H-he's not going to kill me? But I'm supposed to be a sacrifice for him? Why is he letting me go? Candice wondered. Candice shook her head and thought, That doesn't matter now. I have to get out of here before the giant changes his mind. But where do I go? I have no idea where home is or where I am. I don't see any nearby road and that village will only burn me if I go back there. What do I do?

        Candice soon thought of an idea, but it sounded too risky. Oh Hell no. I'm not going to chase after that giant. He could do anything to me. He could easily just kill me and... Candice thought, But he hasn't done anything to me. He actually freed me from the stake. Maybe he's not a monster at all. I hate to admit it, but he seems to be the best option for help. I have nowhere else to go and he'd more likely help me before those villagers.

        Candice saw that the giant's long strides had taken him pretty far. It was now or never. "Wait!" Candice screamed. The giant boy stopped in his tracks and turned around till his side was facing Candice and his face looking at her. Candice leaped off the cart and hurried to the giant. She stopped a few yards away from the giant's feet and looked up at the massive being. Candice saw surprise and confusion in the giant boy's expression, but he eventually crouched down and leaned in a little closer.

        Candice grew scared and intimidated by the boy's largeness and nervously stammered, "I-I n-need help, p-p-please."

        "I've already freed you," the giant replied. "This is when you start running back home and tell the whole village of the monster you escaped." A hint of anger was in the giant's voice during the last statement. But it was the type of anger that came being hurt.

        "I... I'm not s-sure wh-where my h-home is."

        The giant looked confused now. "Is it not the same village that tried to sacrifice you?"

        "Th-that's not m-my home. I-I don't know h-how I g-got there. They th-thought I was a w-witch. If I g-go back th-there, they'd b-burn me. It's too d-dangerous to g-go back there."
        "

        And being with a giant like me isn't?"

        "P-please, I'm l-lost. I d-don't know wh-where to g-go."

        "But you're still afraid of me, aren't you."

        Candice didn't need to answer that question; her shivering and stuttering answered the giant's question for her.

        "Yet, you're still willing to come with me?" the giant asked.

        "I-I have nowhere else t-to go."

        "I will help you with what you need, but I think we should travel to my home first. It's almost time for lunch. I can catch us both something to eat and we can talk about what has happened to you and find a solution while we eat."

        The giant lowered his hand towards Candice. Candice backed away in fear and fell backwards on her butt and back only being propped up by her forearms and elbows. The giant lowered the back of his hand on the ground so that the palm faced up. Candice stared at the hand that could easily pick up a car as if it was a matchbox car with fear. "C-can't I walk?" Candice asked not wanting to put her life in the hands of a giant, literally.

        "It's a good distance walk for humans; you won't be able to catch up. It would be better to let me carry you," the giant informed Candice.

        Candice sighed and slowly but surely crawled onto the giant's hand. Once she was in a comfortable position on the smooth flesh of the giant's palm, Candice looked up to the giant as if to say she was ready. The giant nodded as he smiled warmly down at the human in his hand. The giant slowly stood up and walked towards the forest with his hand at chest level. "So, what's your name?" the giant asked.

        "C-Candice," she replied, "Yours?"

        "Tim," the giant answered as he walked into the forest towards his home.

        Rick began regaining consciousness, but he didn't feel rocks beneath him which he had expected to find. He also didn't feel grass beneath him like his first surprise wake up call. No, this time, Rick felt a bed beneath him, a large and incredibly soft bed. His head and his shoulders were even propped up with the pillow which is how he usually slept. Rick sighed with relief without opening his eyes as he believed that he was back in his own bed. It was just a dream, Rick thought to himself.

        However, Rick began to feel some things that were off. For one, the bed didn't feel like what his bed felt like and the covers were thicker. He placed a hand beneath the covers and one above to get an estimated guess of its thickness. He had expected to feel many covers, but was surprised to find it was only one cover. Also, when he stretched an arm or a leg towards where the edge of the bed should be, he found no edge. Hell, he couldn't even stretch his arms out to the edge of the pillow his head and shoulders were resting upon! He also began to suspect that the pillow he thought was propped up might be lying flat. How big is this bed? Rick wondered as he finally opened his eyes.

        Rick gasped in surprise upon seeing how large the bed was. It was easily about three fourths the size of a football field. What the Hell? Rick thought as he turned his head and saw the pillow was the right proportional size for the bed. Did... Did I shrink, like the characters in all those shrinking and growing interactives I've written? Rick wondered, No, it's impossible to just shrink suddenly without a scientific explanation. Besides, this isn't even my bed. It's not the right color. No, whoever owns this bed is a giant and must have found me unconscious when I hit my head on that rock and brought me here. As crazy as that may sound, that might be the more logical explanation other than me being asleep and dreaming still. Just to make sure he didn't imagine hitting his head on the rock, he slowly sat up and touched the back of his head. Rick was surprised to find that there was a bandage of cloth wrapped around his head. Hitting my head on the rock really happened. Therefore, waking up in the middle of the forest really happened. So, a giant has found my unconscious body.

        This thought frightened Rick. Whatever owned the bed was very large and had brought him purposely to its home. Rick looked around and found he was in a very simple cabin with a fireplace, some furniture, a table, and some cabinets for food and dishes. There was no electrical appliances and no running water, it seemed. There was only one room for the cabin and luckily, he didn't see any giant creature around. Why was I brought here? Rick wondered.

        The one reason he was hoping for was that the giant found him unconscious and just brought him here because he was in trouble. That would make sense why he would end up in a bed instead of in some storage compartment and for a bandage to be on his head. However, other possible reasons swarmed in his head. One idea was that the giant wanted to eat him, but wasn't hungry. So, the giant put him in the bed, to give Rick a sense of easiness and make him not want to run away, thinking the giant wasn't going to harm him. Or the giant wanted to make him a slave or pet of some kind. Rick had read many giant interactives and he knew there were many reasons why a giant would want him.

        Though Rick had fantasies about a giantess, he knew that it was too dangerous to be around a giant stranger. The giant could do anything to him and he wouldn't be able to fight it off. He'd be in the complete mercy of the giant and it could decide to kill him. He didn't want to die and he complied to his survival instincts rather than the longing to be with a giantess. This was real life, not some fetish interactive. Rick pushed away the cover and stood up on the bed. He walked to the edge and saw that the cover almost reached all the way down to the floor. There was still a gap, but not a large enough fall to seriously harm him. Rick got on all fours and then slowly began climbing down the bed cover. It was hard to climb down without any holds, but he just had the grasp the covers to keep him from falling.

        Eventually, Rick was down on the ground and there was still no sign of the giant. The door that led in and out of the cabin was closed, but he believed he could squeeze underneath the crack. Rick hurried up to the door. He was afraid that the door would suddenly swing open revealing the giant, but luckily, that never happened. Rick, after a long jog, made it to the door, a little out of breath. I have to keep going. I have to get to safety, Rick told himself with determination.

        Rick got on his stomach and crawled under the door. When he was outside, he looked around. The large cabin was in a large clearing in the forest. He could hear the sound of rushing water. He looked in that direction and saw a large lake that could probably be used as a swimming pool for the giant. He also saw a waterfall and was entranced with what he saw.

        Under the waterfall was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She was around his age and had dark brown hair that was turning black from the water. She had beautiful blue eyes, when they opened. Her face was nearly flawless as well as her slim body. The woman's assets were a good proportional size, to her, but they enormous to Rick since she was about 200 feet tall! It was a dream come true for Rick. He had always dreamed about being with a giantess, but never thought it was possible. Now, there was a giantess right before him. She had the sexiest and hottest body Rick had ever seen and it only made things better since she was naked. She was using the waterfall as a shower and bathing herself.

        Rick found it nearly impossible to tear his eyes away from the beauty, but eventually did so since it seemed indecent to stare at a naked giantess. He noticed her clothes were on the shore, she only had a makeshift bra and panties. The bra probably wouldn't cover all that was her breasts, but it would cover enough of those orbs for it to not be considered nudity. He also noticed a sack near the clothes. Rick didn't know it, but it was the lunch she had caught before taking a shower.

        Rick's attention went back to the giantess. He was too fascinated by the beautiful giantess and couldn't help himself. When Rick's eyes fell upon the giantess once again, he noticed that her blue eyes were staring directly at him. He froze with fear. Shit, I shouldn't have been out in the open too long. I should have hid and at least studied the giantess actions to see if she was an evil or gentle giantess. But, now it's too late. She's spotted me, Rick thought to himself, And what is she going to think now that she's spotted me peeping at her?

        As soon as those gigantic blue eyes gazed upon him, all of Rick's muscles froze and tensed up. It was too late to hide, the giantess had spotted him and she now knew that he had been staring at her. There was no way to deny that fact. All Rick could do was wait for the giantess's reaction.

        The giantess seemed to freeze up as well. She was in the middle of rubbing herself with the waterfall that was cascading down on her, but she stopped and her hands stood still in their place. The only thing moving was the crystal clear water that was falling down her hair and back as she faced Rick's direction and the foam that emerged when the water crashed into the water below, or hit the giantess, slid down the her body, and fell into the lake. She was only waist deep in the water.

        Rick kept his eyes on the giantess's face, not only out of respect, but also out of fear of what the giantess might do to him if she became angry about him staring at her. Long moments passed, and Rick began to believe that the giantess wasn't going to do anything, but that soon changed when her wide eyes began to squint and her brows grew closer to the tops of those eyes. One of the giantess's arms suddenly shot up and pressed against her breasts tightly as she gave a shriek.

        The loud shriek caused Rick to cover his ears and he fell to his knees. Oh no, the giantess is going to kill me. She thinks I'm some pervert and she's going to grind me into the ground, Rick panicked as he thought about all the horrible things such a giant woman could do to him.

        When the shriek ended, Rick peeked up. The giantess looked like an angry goddess, looking across at a miserable ant. Well, he wasn't ant sized to her, but he was still very small compared to her. "Why you little..." the giantess growled.

        That was all Rick needed to hear. Rick tried to quickly get up and run away, but he tripped and fell on his hands and knees. Rick could hear the water being pushed, as the giantess approached. The lake was still a good distance from her giant hut and the water fall was on the other side of the lake. Even though the giantess would have long strides, Rick realized there would be enough time to run into the forest. He could then loose her in it. It looked like it was an old growth forest and the trees were about her same height. He might be able to find a place to hide and loose her before she could get out of the lake and in the forest. Rick got up and sped to the forest. "No! Wait!" the giantess ordered, but there was no way Rick was going to listen. He was frightened of the angry giantess. Rick rushed into the forest.

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        The giantess's name was Aria. She had come from the land of the giants, a country where giants lived like humans and could hunt giant animals. Usually, giants stayed in their country since the giant animals that lived there provided a sufficient food source. However, some left to explore their world. Unfortunately, many giants believed that humans should be considered lower on the species ladder, due to the size difference. They just couldn't see something as tiny as humans as equals.

        However, there were giants, like Aria, who judged people by their intelligence and not by their size. These giants, like Aria, fought for the equal rights of all sentient life forms. Aria couldn't take her land anymore and left to live in a forest on the outskirts of her land on the border between the giants and humans. That way, the forest still had some giant animals around she could eat. She viewed humans as equals despite the size difference, and had been nothing but kind to them. Unfortunately, all the humans she had come across believed her to be a monster and none had stayed long enough for her to explain she wasn't evil. Because of this, she was lonely in the forest, but she didn't dare move back to her home or further into the human lands.

        When she had found Rick unconscious, she knew she had to help him. She couldn't just let the poor guy die out in the forest full of giant animals. So, she brought him to her home and left to hunt for some food for her and her guest. Though, she needed a bath after the hunt and bathed herself in the lake. She would have never guessed that a human would suddenly be watching her bath. At first, Aria believed that it was a different human, since she couldn't see him clearly from the distance and because of the size difference, and thought he was just a peeping tom. She became angry and covered herself, a clearly normal reaction to such a situation.

        However, she soon realized that it was the human she had found unconscious. He must have climbed out of her bed and just walked out of her house. She hadn't thought about the possibility that the human could have climbed down and escaped from the crack in her door. She then saw how much her anger had scared the human. Aria's anger soon depleted as she realized the human was going to run away from her and the human thought she was a monster, like all the others. "No! Wait!" she cried out, but the human had already run in the forest.

        She had scared away another human, another possible friend. "Dammit!" Aria screamed as she slapped the water, "I scared another human. I...I shouldn't have gotten angry. He was still unconscious when I looked through the window before taking a bath. He probably just got out, and was just in the wrong place at the wrong moment. I...I'm going to be alone forever."

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        Rick didn't get too far before he tripped once again and fell on his hands and knees. He was prepared to get back up, but he realized that something was off. He paused, and listened. The ground wasn't vibrating and there were no booming sounds of the giantess's footfalls. She may not be a massive giantess, but she should still be large enough to make some sort of vibration or loud foot falls. Rick thought, Is she not following me?

        That was when Rick began to hear crying from a woman, a very large woman. The giantess... she's crying? Rick wondered. He cautiously walked to the edge of the forest and looked from the safety of the tree line. The giantess had walked away from the waterfall, but not too far away. Her left arm was still pressed against her breasts like a bra. The giantess's head was looking down at the surface of the water, crying.

        Rick didn't believe what he was seeing. At first, he thought she was crying because he had seen her naked. However, the giantess began to mutter to herself. Luckily, she was large enough that he could hear her muttering. "I'm going to be alone forever. The giants won't accept me because of how I treat humans, and I won't be accepted by humans because they think I'm a monster. I just want to prove that I'm not a monster. I don't know how much longer I'll be able to handle this loneliness," the giantess said.       

        "The giantess is lonely? She's crying because she scared me away?" Rick whispered to himself.
       

        Wait, this could be a trick to lure me out so she can deal with me properly for seeing her naked, Rick thought.

        But the longer he studied the giantess, the more he realized that it wasn't crocodile tears. The sadness was either real or she was a hell of an actress. Rick began to feel sorry for the giantess. He couldn't just idly sit by when someone was as sad as the giantess near him. Plus, something of that size looking so sad and miserable only made things even sadder. The giantess may have been large and extremely dangerous due to her size, but Rick couldn't just stand there and watch someone cry so hard.

        Rick was still very much frightened of the giantess, but he still walked out of the forest and walked towards the edge of the lake. He continued to tell himself this was a stupid and reckless decision, but he still walked forward. "Um... Miss," Rick called out.

        The giantess jumped in surprise by the voice and looked up with tearful eyes. Upon seeing Rick, her eyes widened in surprise. "Miss, I'm sorry that I stared at you, but I didn't know you were taking a shower when I crawled out of your home. I'm sorry for offending you. I couldn't help myself. You're a very beautiful woman. Though, that doesn't excuse me for staring at you. I'm sorry," Rick apologized to the giantess out in the lake. Rick was just relieved that the giantess was still far off in the lake, or he wouldn't have had the courage to even speak.

        "You... You came back?" the giantess questioned, surprise clearly in her voice.

        "I heard you crying. I couldn't just leave you in such a state."

        Aria was happy with the human's answer. The human actually cared about her. He was still obviously frightened of her, but he cared enough to come back to comfort her in her sadness. "This is the kindest thing a human has done for me. Every human I've ever met has run away. No human has ever come back. Thank you. I'm sorry I got angry with you. I shouldn't take a bath in the open, but it's the only thing a giantess like me can bath in around here."

        "It's alright. You have every right to be angry. I'd be angry too if someone barged in while I was taking a shower."

        The giantess was visibly calming down and no longer crying heavily.

        "So, um... Now that you're better, I should probably get going and..." Rick started.

        "No, wait!" Aria pleaded, "Could you at least stay for dinner?" Rick quivered, hoping she wasn't thinking of him as a meal. Aria saw this and understood. She had encountered many humans that thought she'd eat them. "When I mean dinner, I don't mean you. I promise. I don't eat humans. I caught enough food for both of us. I was hoping you'd at least stay for dinner to gain some strength after hitting your head," Aria said.

        Rick touched the bandage around his skull. "I should thank you for the bandage. You must have some skilled fingers to be able to accomplish that task."

        "Yes, it was quite difficult."

        "So, why did you bring me here?" Rick needed to know the giantess's intentions.

        "I couldn't just leave you there. Some animal could have eaten you. I did it to help you. I promise."

        The giantess didn't seem to be lying, but Rick was still a little afraid, despite his fantasies. He needed to get home, but he had no idea where to start walking, or where he even was for that matter. He knew that he was nowhere near his home, since he had never thought giants actually existed. I have no idea where to go and this giantess seems kind enough. I should still keep my eyes on her, but for now, she seems to be the only thing I can trust at the moment. Rick realized.

        "I guess I can stay for dinner."

        "Really?" Aria asked, her face lighting up with joy.

        "Sure, but I think you might need to get some clothes on."

        Aria agreed and Rick turned around so she could dress. He didn't want to possibly cause another incident by seeing her naked again. Aria got dressed and told Rick she was dressed. He turned around and finally saw her at her full height. She was huge and Rick had to look up almost all the way to see her face. Her wet skin still glistened in the sunlight and water dripped down like large rain drops. Aria crouched down and said, "My name is Aria."

        "Rick," was all Rick could say as he stared up at the giantess in awe.

        Aria could still see that Rick feared her. She knew that she had to be careful with him so that he could learn to trust her. She had to remember that she looked like a scary intimidating monster to humans. "Rick, would you like a lift? I could carry you into the house," Aria suggested. She wanted to give the human some distance, but she also wanted to show him that she could be trusted.

        "I..."

        "I've carried you before when you were unconscious. Trust me, I'll be careful."

        Rick didn't want to anger the giantess and he wanted to believe that she wasn't evil. Rick nodded.

        Aria lowered her hand on the ground. She knew that grabbing him would be much scarier. If he was in her palm, it would seem that he would have more freedom.

        Rick realized that Aria was being conscious of his fear and instead of simply grabbing him; she was letting him get on her palm. He hesitantly stepped on her palm and sat in the center. Her flesh was wet and smooth to the touch. He had imagined lying on a giantess's skin in his stories, but he never dreamed the skin would be this soft and smooth.

        Aria slowly rose to her feet and walked to her hut.

        Aria stood to her full height of 200 feet and though Rick was only level with her stomach, it was still very high up. Rick moved so that he was in the center of her enormous palm and away from the edges. It was bad enough that Rick was in the air, high off the ground, but he was in the palm of something that could do whatever it wanted with him and he wouldn't be able to stop it. Rick was still frightened by this.

        Aria noticed Rick's fear and started wondering if she should have let him walk instead of carrying him. It was clear that he was still afraid of her and it would be best to keep her distance from him so that he gets used to her. It can still work, Aria tried to assure herself, Holding him shows I have control over myself. It puts him in a position where I could do whatever I want with him, and I choose not to harm him. If he realizes that I'm not going to hurt him, he might warm up to me faster.

        Aria strapped the sack on her shoulder so that she could use both hands to carry Rick. She was large enough for him to have more than enough room in one hand, but she thought that if she showed that she was carefully handling him, he might get the point that she was a gentle giantess. Aria cupped both hands and put them together.

        Rick noticed that Aria had cupped her hands, making it impossible for him to accidentally roll off. She had even put her hands together to give him more room and an extra platform to carry his, what must seem to her, minuscule weight. Though, Rick didn't dare move to the crack where the two hands met. If he were to lie there, she could just part her hands and he would fall with no way of staying up. Then again, all she had to do was make a fist out of her hand and crush him till he was just blood and a body that looked worse than road kill. She could just tilt her hands and let him fall before lifting her foot and crushing whatever life is left in him, maybe she'll even do it slowly to prolong his torture instead of quickly stomping him into the ground like some disgusting bug. She could also casually toss his whole body into her mouth or dangle him above the black and pink abyss, before playing around with him with her tongue and swallowing after she's had her fun. She could do a lot of things to him with little effort, yet Aria was being extremely careful with him. Despite all the strength she had, she was being gentle and careful.

        Rick noticed vibrations in her hands. It probably wasn't noticeable to her, but to him it was like the vibrating of a massage bed. Rick looked up and noticed that Aria was completely focused on carrying him as she walked towards her house. The shaking hands were from nervousness. "Aria, you're hands are shaking," Rick called up to her.

        Aria stopped in her tracks and looked at Rick with an apologetic face. "I'm sorry Rick, but I'm nervous. The only time I've carried a human before was when you were unconscious. I want to be very careful with you now that you're conscious. I'm so nervous that I might somehow drop you or-" Aria began explaining her worries.

        "It's alright, Aria. Calm down. Just relax. Being nervous only makes things more difficult. You don't want to drop me because you're nervous, do you?"

        "No, I don't." Aria shook her head. She took a few deep breaths and the shaking hands stopped. Rick became comfortable again and Aria began walking once more.
       

        She really does care about my safety. She doesn't want to hurt me and she wants me alive, Rick realized, But what could she want from me? She could truly be lonely and just want me as a friend. Or, she could just think of me as a pet or possible plaything and doesn't want to accidentally break me. I just need to study her more before I can figure out the truth.

        Rick stopped wondering about the giantess's intentions when he realized he was back in her hut. Aria walked over to the table and she placed her hands down on the table top. Rick exited off quickly, glad to be on something that couldn't drop out from under him. Aria showed no signs of wanting to drop him, but the possibility of that happening anytime was a little nerve racking. Rick sat down on the wooden table and leaned back on his hands as he looked up at Aria. Aria was standing straight up, but she was about a half a foot, well a half a foot to her, away from the table. Rick was glad that she was keeping her distance, even if she still could easily reach down and grab him. He knew that she somehow knew it was best to keep her distance till he could trust her.

        Aria looked down at him and he looked up at her, and since the table was level with her waist, he still had a long way to look up. "So, did I do okay?" Aria asked.

        "What?" Rick asked back, confused by the question.

        "Did I do okay carrying you? Did I do something wrong or hurt you in any way?"

        "No, I'm fine. You did okay."

        This made Aria glad and as she smiled down at Rick, she informed him, "I better start cooking the meat now. Good thing I already started the fire."

        Rick looked at the fire. He was surprised that he hadn't noticed it before. "So, what's for dinner?" Rick called to the giantess walking over to a counter.

        "I hope you like rabbit stew," Aria replied as she dumped both potatoes and two giant rabbits out of her sack. Rick had never seen potatoes and rabbits so gigantic; they were the perfect size for Aria.

        "There are giant animals and food as well?" Rick asked.

        "Yes, they come from my country. How else do you think us giants live? We have to have a large enough food supply to sustain us as well as not deplete you little guys of food. Luckily, everything in our land is giant and perfectly sized for our use."

        "So, are we in your country?"

        "No, we are in a forest near the border. Some herds of herbivores have migrated to this forest. How come you don't know where you are?"

        "Well, I. Why aren't you in your country?" Rick didn't know if he should tell the giantess that he was lost and had no way of getting home. If she knew and was as lonely as he thought, she might force him to stay with her if she found out he had no place to go.

        "I, I was banished from my village. I came from a village that saw humans as nothing more than tiny bugs that should be stepped on. The village had done terrible things to captured humans, eating them, torturing them, crushing them, you name it, and they've done it to humans. I realized that humans were sentient beings and more like us giants. I could never take part in the village's horrid deeds, and spoke out against it. I was banished, and I left my country hoping that humans would accept me. I only go back in my country to obtain the seeds needed to grow my vegetable garden in the back. And sometimes take a job when I need money."

        Aria sighed. "But every human I've come across has seen me as a monster and they run away before I can explain to them I'm not evil. I've lived here for five years and you're the first human who's ever stayed long enough to speak to me."

        "Then, it must get terribly lonely out here, right?" Rick replied.

        "Yes, it does."

        Rick felt sorry for the giantess again. She seemed like a very nice and kind girl. Yet, she was so alone because of her height.

        "You don't seem to know anything about this place and didn't even know about the giant country. Why is that?" Aria questioned.

        "Where I come from, there are no such things as giants. My country doesn't know they exist."

        Aria had finished chopping the meat and potatoes and tossed it in the boiling pot to stew. Now, Aria turned around and examined the human on her table top. "But how could...?" Aria started, but her eyes widened and she continued, "Are you from a different world?"

        "What?" Rick questioned.

        "I've heard stories of portals randomly appearing and spiting out beings from other worlds. In some worlds, these portals are more frequent, like Felarya."

        "Felarya exists!" Rick had thought that Felarya was just a made up world created for those who had a vore fetish on Deviantart. He never believed the possibility of it being truly real!

        "Yes, some beings escaped Felarya to come here and some Felaryan predators have ended up here too. I've met a Felaryan before. They are kind and friendly to those who are of their size, but to those littler than them, they only see them as something they could eat, believing the human sized beings are too little to befriend and only belong in their stomachs. But you must be from a different world. It explains why you're dressed so differently, and why you know nothing about this place. Do you remember a portal?"

        "No, all I remember is sleeping in my home and then suddenly waking up in this forest. It didn't seem possible."

        "A portal must have taken you in your sleep."

        "If that's the case, where do I go to get home?"

        "Only a portal can take you back, but I don't know of anyone who can make a portal appear and control it. I'm sorry, but you may be stuck in this world."

        Rick sat down, overwhelmed by the feelings inside him. He was stuck here, never able see his family or friends again. Aria noticed Rick's sadness and walked over to the table. Aria placed a finger on his back and began stroking him with that finger. "Hey, it'll be alright," Aria tried to assure him, "Even if you're trapped here, I'll take care of you. I know what it's like to not be able to see your family and friends again. I can help you cope and-"

        Before Aria could finish, Rick leaned his head against the large finger and embraced it in a hug. It stayed like this for a long time before Aria said, "The food is ready and I have to get the bowls and silverware."

        Rick let go and Aria got a bowl for herself and a human sized bowl for Rick. She had encountered caravans being attacked by robbers and had saved them, only for the humans to run away. Many left the carriages and Aria had obtained many human sized objects from them. Aria began pouring the stew in the bowls.

        "We're here," Tim informed Candice. Candice looked around and saw a very large cave. The entrance was on the side of the cliff and it was large enough for Tim. The cliff itself dwarfed the giant whose palm Candice sat on. The cave was just a large hole on the side of the cliff with a tunnel that stretched deep into the cliff. She could not tell how far back that tunnel stretched; all she saw was blackness that filled up the entire cave. The only light in the entire cave was a slim strip of slanted light from sun above, but being at the time of the day was noon, the sun was not angled the best for light to be in the cave. It was an irregular shape that looked like an upside down U that was pointed on the top and slightly slanting to the right. To Candice, it didn't feel too welcoming. Tim walked over to the entrance and Candice saw that the bottom of the entrance was level with Tim's waist. Even the giant would have to climb up to get in the cave. Candice felt the platform she was on lower and she looked up at the giant boy's face which was getting farther and farther away.

        When Tim's hand was lowered on the cave floor, Candice didn't hesitate to get off. She still didn't know Tim all that well and still feared what he could easily do to her. Being on solid ground was much more comfortable than being on a giant hand that could easily to whatever Tim wanted it to do. She shivered at the thought of all the things Tim could have done to her when she was in his hand. As soon as she got off, she fell to her knees. The rocks jabbed at her bare feet and the pointy hard surface continued to try and penetrate the thin fabric of her solid pink pajama bottoms. However, at the moment, she didn't care that she was on a very hard and uncomfortable ground; she was on actual ground and glad to be on it.

       The giant hand lifted away and Candice stared upwards. "I'm going to have to hunt some food," Tim informed her, "I think it is best for you to stay here and I'll bring enough for both of us." Candice was still too fearful to notice that Tim was avoiding direct eye contact with her, as if he was a little nervous.

        Tim was also nervous when he had been holding Candice. He had never held a human before, never had a living creature being carried in his hand. He was nervous that he'd do something stupid and accidentally drop her or something. He didn't want to hurt the girl. He never wanted to hurt anyone unless he had no other option. So, having someone's life in the palm of his hand made things uncomfortable to him. He had to make sure that he was extra careful and gentle with the fragile creature in his hand. He had been relieved when he put her down since she was now safe from any accident he might have carrying her.

        Candice nodded in agreement with Tim's decision on letting her stay while he left. She wasn't used to being so close to such a massive person and she was scared of him. With him gone, she might be able to convince herself that everything would be okay. "I'll get food and then we'll talk about what we're going to do with you while we eat," Tim said. Tim then turned and left.

        Candice watched as the giant walked away from the cave and deeper into the forest. Already near the edge of the cliff, she peeked over it. It was still a very long drop. Maybe I shouldn't stay with this giant. Maybe I should try to leave while I still can, Candice said to herself, having second thoughts about her decision.

        No, it's too late for that, Candice told herself, I asked the giant for help and my fate is in his hands now. I've already made my decision. Besides, I'm no mountain climber. I'm not going to be able to climb down that mess, especially with bare feet and only my pajamas on. I'm trapped in this cave and dependent on this giant. I can't live in the wild. I've never even been camping before, let alone hunting or something along those lines. The giant is my only hope of survival, and he seems like he's kind and gentle enough. I'm safe with him, even if he is a massive creature that could force me to do whatever he wants.

        Candice shook her head and continued to try and convince herself that the giant was a good and gentle giant. However, she knew she wouldn't be able to completely console her fear. The only thing that would be able to do that would be to stay with the giant long enough to realize the giant was a gentle giant.

        Candice turned around. She thought she heard a sound behind her, but she couldn't see anything. It sounded like the loud clack of a rock falling and colliding with the rock solid floor. That clacking continued as that rock bounced and rolled around from deep in the back of the cave. However, it was still close enough and loud enough for her ears to pick it up. If giants exist in this place, what other creatures exist here? Candice wondered. She was no mythical creature expert, but he brother was and he knew many different kinds of creatures. He would have known what kind of creatures lurked in dark caves. I wish he was here, Candice thought with tears starting to form once again, But I'll never see him again. I'll never see my family or friends. I never realized how important to me they are until now.

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        Tim was glad he was in one of the forests where giant animals still roamed. It was the only reason he came to this forest after he was left his home. He had been forced to live in human country since then. If it's a crime to see humans as equals, then so be it. I'm glad I'm guilty and not one of those monsters, Tim thought to himself.

        Tim witnessed a clearing of giant deer. Tim hadn't had deer in a long time and was glad to find some. He quietly approached a tree and silently climbed. Luckily, the deer hadn't noticed him. A lone doe began wandering to the edge of the clearing. Tim readied himself on a branch and waited for the deer walk right under him. He waited as the deer nibbled on the grass. When the deer had eaten under the tree long enough for it to feel safe, Tim jumped off the branch and wrapped his arms around the neck, slicing in one swift motion. The doe reared and bucked, but Tim continued to cling on. He may have been fourteen years old, but giants were strong beings. How else would they be able to defy the planet's gravity by being able to move like they do?

        The doe weakened from the draining blood and eventually just collapsed on the ground. When Tim was sure the deer was dead, he began dragging it to the cave. He was gladdened that he wouldn't be eating the deer alone, glad to finally have met a human that was willing to stay with him. It may be only because she's desperate, but I'm glad a human has actually decided to stay with me, even if it might be temporary, Tim thought as he dragged the deer, I thought that humans would listen to me and I'd be able to explain to them I'm not a monster, but it has been three years since I've made this place my home and this is the first human I've been able to talk to. All those humans the village has 'sacrificed' to me have been too frightened to realize I was just releasing them.

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        Candice soon saw the giant come into view with a giant deer. She was slightly relieved to see the giant since whatever might be back in the cave might not come out with the giant around. But the giant was a giant danger as well.

        Tim was glad to see that Candice was still at the cave. He had been getting worried that Candice would try to run away, but she decided to stay. Maybe there is hope that I can gain a human friend. Maybe she could someday see me as a friend and not some dangerous monster, Tim hoped.

        When Tim reached the cave, Candice called up to him, "Tim, how deep is the cave?"

        "It's very deep and full of maze-like tunnels. I've never seen the entire cave."

        "Could there be something else living here?"

        "There could be, why do you ask?"

        "I heard a noise and it sounding like something was moving down there."

        "I've heard noises when I was alone too. Whatever lives deep in the caves hasn't harmed me and I've never seen it. I think we're fine, but if it comes, I'll protect you. Now, could you move please? I don't want to hurt you as I get this deer up."

        Candice moved to the side of the cave, but stayed closer to the entrance. She thought she was safer with a giant that hasn't shown any signs of harming her than closer to something that could be living deeper in the cave. Tim lifted the deer in the cave and then climbed up himself, being very careful not to accidentally crush Candice. "I'm going to need two hands to drag the deer to the fire pit. Do you mind holding onto the deer while I do this?" Tim asked.

        Candice answered by grabbing into the dead deer's fur and climbing onto it. She had liked wild deer and never had any reason to fear them. This dead deer was massive though, bigger than Tim. She had never thought she would encounter a deer she would be afraid of, but even this dead deer was intimidating in this world.

        Tim dragged the deer towards the fire pit and started the fire. The fire was massive to Candice and the heat warmed her was a large radius. She had to get off the deer as Tim took up his knife and prepared the meat.

        Tim eventually had a large slab of meat cooking on the fire and focused on that more than anything else; making sure it would be cooked properly. Candice sat by the fire. She had to be careful how close she was due to the large heat radius that emitted from the enormous fire. Candice also sat on a different side from Tim. She didn't sit on the opposite side, but she sat on a side adjacent to his. She didn't want to be too close to the giant since she still didn't trust him completely and his size truly intimidated her, but she also didn't want to be the furthest away from him in case there really was something in the caves that may take advantage of her distance. So, Candice made a compromise between her two fears.

        When Tim felt that the meat was done, he took it off the rotator and placed it on his lap. Tim then took out his knife and cut a small piece off of the slab. Tim placed it in his hand and reached out to Candice with the piece of meat between his fingers in a pinching grip. Candice scooted back a bit still fearful of the enormous hand. But when she saw he was only handing her some meat, her body calmed down. "I don't know how much you humans eat. Will this be enough?" Tim asked politely.

        "Yes, it will be more than enough for me," Candice informed the giant as she looked at the large slab of meat between his fingers. She took the meat and placed it on her lap. She had no plates, no silverware, or anything. She would have to eat with her hands. It was strange for her to do so and she didn't like getting her pajama bottoms messy, but it was the only way she'd be able to eat. Candice looked up at the giant and saw him devouring the meat hungrily. The way the boy savagely devoured the meat, showed Candice how hungry he really was. "He must have been this hungry when he first found me, but he had the control not to eat me. At least I don't have to worry about eating me," Candice realized.

        As they ate, no one really talked. Tim was eating and avoiding any eye contact with Candice and Candice was too fearful to talk to the giant fourteen year old at the moment. So, she just watched him as they both ate. She had to admit that he was a very handsome boy and if it wasn't for him being 180 feet tall, she would totally try to go out with him. But even with Tim being handsome and with him acting very gentle and kind, Candice was still frightened of Tim's sheer size and power.

        Eventually, it was Tim who spoke first, but he didn't look at Candice as he asked, "So, you said you were lost?"

        "Yes, I am," Candice answered, hoping this didn't go badly.

         "What happened?"

        "I don't know. One moment I was sleeping at my home and the next moment I'm in the middle of a village I had never seen before with villagers wanting to kill me."

        "So, you don't know where you are or where to go to get back home?" Tim found himself in an interesting position. He had found a human who had nowhere to go, a human girl he could keep for himself and force to stay with him and no one would come looking for her. Tim looked down at the little human and noticed that she must have realized this as well, because she was shaking with fear again. "No, I can't force her to stay. If I force it upon her, she would never be my friend. She has to freely choose to be my friend in order to be a friend," Tim informed himself. He knew it was a once and a lifetime opportunity, and he might never find a human like this again, but he couldn't bring himself to force a person to stay with him, no matter how lonely he really was.

        "I see that you're far away from home and even if you have people who will look for you, they would not look in the right places. I know that I could keep you and force you to stay with me, but I won't do that," Tim informed her as he looked down at his lap, "I know that I'm a giant and have the size and strength to kidnap you, but I can't to it. Humans are just littler people. And I view all people as equals."

        "So, you're not going to kidnap me?" Candice questioned nervously.

        "I want to. It gets so lonely in this forest and I'd probably never find another person without other nearby ties, but I can't force someone to be my prisoner."

        Candice was surprised by the giant's speech. "Maybe I should stay with him. He seems so lonely and desperate to look for a friend," Candice suggested, "Besides, I have nowhere else to go."

        "What if I stay with you willingly?" Candice asked.
        Tim looked a back at Candice, surprise clear on his face. "You'd stay with me? Don't you think I'm a monster?"

        "It's true that I'm still afraid of your size and power, but, you seem like a gentle giant and you haven't done anything to harm me since I've been here with you. Where I come from, there are no giants or monsters, and no villages stuck in the medieval times, which makes me think that somehow I've ended up in a different world or traveled back in time. If either of those is true, my home no longer exists and I have absolutely no place to go. You're the only person I've met in this place that seems to want to help me. So, if I have no place to go. It would probably be best for me to stay here."

        "I, I would very much like you to stay here with me."

        "As long as you don't do anything to harm me or-"

        "I won't do anything to hurt you, I promise. You'll be safe with me, I swear it. Are, are you still afraid of me?"

        "It's hard to get used to your height in one day."

        "But, maybe we could be, friends?"

        Candice noticed Tim avoiding eye contact. She could understand that Tim was lonely and wanted a friend, being desperate enough to befriend a human, but she wondered why he was avoiding her eyes all the time. "Is Tim nervous of me? Is he. Shy?" Candice wondered. Candice had seen shy people before and Tim sure acted like someone who was shy. "He seems to be just as shy and nervous around me as I am with him. The only way he could be shy is if he truly sees me as an equal and-" Candice began realizing, but her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of movement. Both paused and looked in the direction of the movement, but the darkness was too thick to see through.

        "It might be watching us. It's never been this close before," Tim muttered.

        "Why do you think it might be closer now?" Candice asked, but it didn't take long for her to figure out what might have caused whatever was living deep in the caves to get so close. There was only one thing that was different from when Tim lived alone in the cave: her!

        Tim came to the same conclusion and looked down at the human that could possibly become his friend. He couldn't let the creature, whatever it was, have her. He needed to keep her safe. "Candice, I, I think it would be best, if you, stay close to me," Tim suggested.

        Candice was a little hesitant, but she realized that she'd be safer with a giant that has not yet shown any intentions of harming her, than with something she didn't know. Candice nodded and Tim blushed a little showing his shyness again. Tim lowered his hand and Candice got on. Tim carefully lifted Candice and set her down on his bare lap. It was slightly odd to have a living creature sitting on his lap, and fairly embarrassing, but it was to keep her safe from whatever was watching them.

        It felt odd to Candice too to be sitting on a living creature who looked human, especially when the surface underneath her was bare, smooth, and warm human skin. Candice examined the giant around her and he looked more massive by being so close up. She even caught herself looking at the loincloth beside her. Her teenage mind began thinking about what was hiding behind that cloth, what sort of monster the giant must have with only that cloth keeping it hidden. Even if it might be little to the giant it would still be big to Candice and- She shook her head. "This is not what I should be thinking about now. Why am I even thinking about-" Candice wondered, but again her thoughts were interrupted by more movement.

        "What are you? Show yourself," Tim demanded.

        Candice stared into the darkness at the back of the cave, waiting for the creature to show itself. Seconds passed, but it felt much longer for Candice due to her frightened mind. Many depictions of terrible creatures were running through her mind, because only a horrid creature would live deep in a dark cave system. She was worried that the creature, whatever it was, would want to eat her and that was the only reason it got closer to Tim's sleeping quarters.

         Candice's eyes pulled away from the darkness, when she noticed movement to her side. She turned her head and saw Tim's hand sideways on his lap with his palm facing her side, ready to form a barrier around her if he needed to. Candice looked up at the giant whose lap she was sitting upon. Tim's head was facing directly into the darkness and nowhere else. Candice looked back to the darkness and saw movement as well as hearing more sounds. This spooked her and she jumped back. She turned to her side and pressed her side against Tim's stomach. She pushed her head and hands into the soft skin of the giant and Tim covered her with his hand.

        Candice quivered, closing her eyes, fearing the creature had jumped out and was about to attack Tim to get to her. However, that never happened. Instead, she heard sounds shrinking farther and farther away. She opened her eyes and looked over Tim's hand while still pressed against his skin. She looked towards the darkness and saw nothing at all. It had retreated back deep within the cave system. She sighed with relief, glad to be rid of one danger, for now.

        However, when she realized what she was doing, she blushed. She was clinging to Tim like a child did to a parent for protection against monsters. It was a natural reaction of course, because even if she was still afraid of Tim, he had shown no signs of harming her and it was natural to look for protection from something that showed no signs of hostility rather than something in the dark. Though it may have been a natural reaction, it was still very embarrassing for Candice to cling onto a giant she didn't know that well who was her age like a helpless child. Well, in this world, humans were nowhere near the largest creatures and she was pretty much helpless here.

        Tim could feel Candice's little body against his stomach and when he knew the danger was gone, he looked down at the human on his leg. Both stared at each other for a while and Tim noticed his hand was keeping Candice against his stomach, holding her close. Tim's cheeks too became redder with embarrassment and took his hand away from her. Candice quickly pushed off the giant's stomach and moved father down his lap. "Sorry," Tim apologized, "It was only to protect you. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

        "It's alright," Candice assured the giant, "I, I kind of clung to you first."

        This was followed by an awkward silence and both looked away from each other for a little while. Eventually, Tim spoke up and suggested, "We still have enough food for dinner, but we're going to need to find you some material for bedding for you. I think you should come with me when I look for such material. I don't think it's safe for you to be alone here with that thing getting so close."

        Candice nodded in agreement. "Hey Tim, you know why I'm here, but why are you all alone in this forest. You said you're lonely here. Aren't there other giants?" Candice questioned. She understood that if she was going to stay with this giant, they'd have to start getting to know each other better.

        "I lived in a village full of other giants," Tim admitted, "But, they didn't see humans as equals. Most of the villagers believed that humans were too little to be considered equals, or even people for that matter. But I thought differently. I couldn't take the way the others were treating humans, so I left the village."

        "You left your family?" Candice questioned. "Tim must really see humans as equals if he left his family just because humans were being treated unfairly," Candice realized.

        "I couldn't live in a place that treated humans so badly. I wanted to live in the human country, hoping that humans would accept me if I explained myself. I had to live in this forest since it has giant animals in here to eat, but I have no luck with humans. They've all believed I'm a monster. You're the first one who has actually talked to me," Tim informed Candice.

        The conversations were slow and a little forced since the two were just meeting, but they began to talk and began getting to know each other better. They talked and starting becoming more comfortable with each other. They talked for a while before they decided it was best to go find bedding for Candice. Tim carried Candice once again, and they left the cave.

     Rick had finished the rabbit stew the 200 foot giantess Aria had given him. Rick was glad that Aria had bowls and silverware for humans, though it did seem a bit suspicious and strange that she should have them. Aria had seemed to notice Rick's suspicion while they had eaten, which is incredible that something so large could have seen his confused expression. After all, he did look like he was about two inches tall to her. Aria told him, "Sometimes I come across caravans and traders. I go up to them like I approach all humans, hoping that they could see that I'm not a monster and spread that fact to others, but they always run. Sometimes they leave their supplies behind to go faster and to get away from me. I've obtained a lot of human things from what they've left behind."

        After Rick had thought about it a while, he began believing the giantess's story. She did seem lonely, especially since she was seeking out friendship among humans. Everything she had said about herself seemed to have described her as a lonely person desperate for friendship. Rick was finally believing he was safe with Aria, even if she was an imposingly enormous giantess from a different dimension, planet, or wherever he was now.

        Rick had also been surprised that Aria had the ability to cut the meat and potatoes used for the stew in a way that they would be bite sized for Rick. Those bit would have seemed like crumbs to her. He was happy that the giantess took his size into consideration and made sure he would be able to eat his food.

        However, the safety and happiness he was starting to feel around Aria was overwhelmed with a deep sadness. Loneliness and longing began to shroud Rick's good emotions as he thought about his situation. Somehow, a portal had entered his world and sucked him up, depositing him in a strange and fantastic realm. Though Rick was fascinated by fantasy realms and their mythical creatures and though he always wanted to be in one, he had never thought about there being a possibility that he would never be able to go back home to his friends and family. He was now trapped in an unfamiliar world with no way of escaping it. Though he was trapped in a world he always dreamed about with a giantess he had always dreamed about being with, his dream was starting to feel like a nightmare and a cage.

        Rick finished the bowl Aria had given him and felt full. Or maybe it was because his stomach felt queasy from the sadness. Which ever the case, he could no longer bring himself to eat anymore. Rick just sat there cross-legged on the vast table top while Aria finished off her giant bowl. Rick continued to stare off into nothingness.

        "Did you like the stew?" Aria asked.

        "What?" Rick replied bringing his mind back to the present, "Oh yeah. I liked the stew."

        However, Rick didn't sound like he had liked it. His voice was still filled with sadness and disappointment. This made Aria sad. She thought that her first guest ever was displeased with her cooking and she felt terrible for harming her chances of making a friend. Surprisingly, she wasn't mad at the human. Most giants would have gotten mad at the human for disrespecting them since they had put the effort to help something so small when they really didn't need to. Disrespecting a giant could get a human crushed very easily. However, Aria was different from the giants. She viewed humans as equals and not some insignificant bugs. Aria wasn't mad at the human, she was mad at herself for failing. "You...you don't sound like you liked it," Aria sadly spoke.

        Rick turned his head to look at Aria. Her eyes were glistening with ready tears and she was starting to look downwards as if ready to start crying. Not wanting to upset his host, Rick pleaded, "Please don't cry. Honestly, I like your stew. It was very good."

        "Then why does it sound as though you didn't like it?"

        "Because, I'm still sad. It's not the soup; it's the fact that I'm not going to ever see my family and friends again." Rick's explanation was the truth. He did like Aria's cooking very much, but he was too saddened to express that pleasure.

        Aria sniffed. "So, you really like my rabbit stew?"

        "Yes, very much so."

        "Thanks."

       "I'm sorry that I didn't sound like I appreciated your food, but I'm just so sad. It's not everyday that you find yourself in a different world with no known way of getting home or ever seeing the people you love again."

        Aria felt sorry for the tiny human. She knew what it was like never being able to see family or friends again since she was banished by them and her village for liking humans. However, she knew that there must be a difference from being banished and being separated by a random portal. Aria's parents had forced the separation; where as, Rick was separated from them while his parents still loved him. "Rick?" Aria said. She wanted to help him cope and help drive away his sadness, but the giantess was feeling helpless and unable to do so.

        "Strange," Rick commented to himself, "I should be happy. I've entered a fantastic realm, well fantasy to my world, with mythical creatures and I'm with a beautiful and gentle giantess." Aria blushed a little upon hearing Rick call her beautiful. She had never been told such a complement like that before, especially not from a human. "It's like a dream come true, but I never expected I'd be away from all my friends and family with no way of ever seeing them again," Rick continued, "I'm starting to miss them all already. I feel so alone."

        Aria looked down at the human with an expression filled with pity. She couldn't let him feel this bad anymore. Aria reached her hands out for Rick and scooped him in the palm of a hand. Rick didn't resist, it was as if nothing seemed to matter anymore. Aria slid her chair farther away from the table as she lowered the hand carrying Rick towards her stomach. Aria placed Rick's body against her stomach and placed her hand against his back and her other hand against that hand. Aria pressed him against her stomach, making sure not to use too much force that would harm him. Aria calculated the right strength to give Rick a comfortable yet firm hug to try and comfort him.

        Rick found his body pressed against the soft skin of the giantess's flat and sexy stomach. The giant hands pressed Rick's body farther into the soft skin, but not enough to harm him. Rick soon found the darkness and sadness of his mind drifting away as the warmth and softness of Aria's smooth skinned stomach began to wash over the front of him. Tears stopped falling from Rick's eyes and he turned his head to the side so that his cheek was against the vast skin. He had imagined things such as this in the interactive stories about giantess. He read about lying in the hands, stomach, or even between the breasts of a giantess. However, he had never imagined how comfortable the real thing truly was. Rick was becoming overwhelmed by the experience and happier thoughts entered his brain, dissipating the darkness.

        "You're not alone," Aria informed Rick as she continued her wonderful hug, "I know I'm not family and you don't know me all that well, but I willing to get to know you and help you with the loneliness you must feel right now. We can be friends and help each other out. We're both lonely and need friends more than anything else."

        Aria began moving her pointer finger of one of her hands in a stroking motion against the back of Rick's head. "If you truly have nowhere to go, you can stay with me. I'll protect you and take care of you as a friend would, and I'll help you cope with this loneliness, and just being my friend will help mine. We need each other now."

     Tim stepped down from the ledge with great ease, a fall that could have killed Candice. When Tim's bare feet were planted firmly in the grass which was a much more comfortable surface than the floor of his cave, he turned around to see Candice waiting for him at the edge of the entrance. Next to her was a giant leather satchel, a satchel that Candice noted could probably fit a school bus inside and could still have room. Tim planned to grab some fruit while finding bedding for Candice. They had enough food on the deer for dinner, but some fruit might make the meal better.

        Candice had been surprised by the satchel as well as the other things Tim owned in a pile just barely in the reach of the fire light. There were different objects needed to survive in the wilderness, but they were all made for a giant such as Tim. Judging from the fact that Tim only wore a loincloth, Candice didn't think he would have some of the stuff he had. "Tim did say that he lived in a village with other giants. Maybe he lived like humans and had tools made for their giant size. There are giant animals after all. A country made for giants next to a country for humans. This place it getting stranger by the moment." Candice thought.

        Soon, Candice was stepping on Tim's waiting hand with his other hand grabbing the satchel and strapping it over his opposite shoulder. Tim could have easily just put her in the satchel, but he wanted to carry her, as if carrying her personally would keep his friend safer. Candice found it odd, but she actually preferred him to carry her in his hand instead of the dark confines of the satchel. She didn't know why she felt safer in a giant's palm, but there was something about it that she started liking and getting used to. She was lifted up to chest level as she sat cross legged on the palm of the one-hundred and eighty foot tall giant teen.

        "Are you thirsty?" Tim asked.

        "Yes, I haven't had a drink all day."

        "Well, I'm thirsty too and there is a stream not too far from my cave. We can go there first before finding the fruit and the bedding."

        "That's fine by me."

        What Candice was really going to say was: "I don't have much of a choice in the matter, do I? You're the one carrying me." She would have said it jokingly of course, but she didn't know how Tim might take it. The medieval giant could take such a comment the wrong way and may even be hurt by the comment if she's not careful.

        Tim started walking towards the stream as Candice looked down at her legs. The lap area of her pink pajama bottoms were coated in grease. This of course was because of the fact that she didn't have a plate, or silverware for that matter, when it came to eating the meat. The end result left the only clothes she had in this world messy. "What am I going to do when my clothes get too dirty. Wash them of course, but what will I wear while they dry?" Candice looked down at her feet. She examined the bottoms which were bruised from the rocky surface of the cave. She could also see so me bleeding from small pokes from the pointy rocks. She had a bad feeling that blisters might form if she continued walking on such a rocky surface. "I'm also going to need shoes for that matter."

        "So, this stream isn't far?" Candice asked, breaking the silence.

        "Yes, it is not that far at all."

        "Maybe for your long tree legs."

        "Ha, maybe it is far for humans. Thankfully we can walk at my pace." Tim smiled a bit from what Candice said and she was glad that she could start being herself around her new giant friend.  
Candice stared at the leather strap of the satchel hugging diagonally across his chest. She was having troubles imagining all the material that would have been needed to create such a large object. "Where did you get the satchel?"

        "It was one of the things I took with me when I was forced to leave my village," Tim explained a bit solemnly.

        "Right, you said you lived in a village of other giants and that you live in a country where everything is giant. Does you village live like human villages do?"

        "What do you mean?"

        "You know. Do giants farm, herd animals, and all the other things humans do?"

        "I think I might understand what you're saying. Everything that makes up the human world: agriculture, economy, and other such things, are the same in my country. The only difference is that where I'm from, everything is bigger. We have a King, farms, jobs, animals, minerals, and everything else that's the right size for us."

        "If that's true, why are you only wearing a loincloth?"

        "Oh –well– I did have clothes when I left, but I've grown out of them. It was six years ago when I left my home. Plus, I didn't have the much time to get everything before I was banished," Tim stated the last sentence with increased solemnity.

        Candice had forgotten that Tim had been banished from his village because of his views on humanity. "I'm sorry for bringing that up."

        "It's alright. Oh, we're here."

        Candice looked away from the giant face above her and looked ahead. Before them was what Tim called a stream. Too Candice, the water flow was much more like a small river. From a distance, Candice believed that the river was decently shallow, but as Tim drew closer to the "stream", Candice realized that it the water was just very clear. It was at least ten to fifteen feet deep. Yet, Candice could see the bottom because the water was just that clear. "How could fresh water be that clear?"

        Tim knelt down by the edge of the river and sat on the back of his ankles with his legs folded on top of themselves beneath him. Once he was comfortable, he lowered his hand down beside him at arm's length to give her some space.

        Candice scooted off the hand and hopped off on the prickly grass. She couldn't tell whether the grass was comfortable or irritating to her bare feet. Candice looked behind and saw the giant hand lifting away and landing on the giant's lap. She looked at the giant face that stared down her with a sweet smile high above. Even when he was stilling down, Tim towered over her greatly. Candice smiled politely back and approached the water.

        The ground near the edge of the water sloped down a bit, but it dropped down quickly later on. Candice judged that she would only make it to her shins before it dropped suddenly. Candice crouched down like Tim at the edge without touching any of the water and stared down at liquid that slide past her. Was the water safe to drink? It was natural after all and who knows what had been in it. This could have been an animal's bathroom for all she knew.

        Candice glanced back at Tim where was already bent over and dipping his cupped hands into the deeper water. His arms could easily achieve this task without much struggle. Hell, Tim probably could just step across the river in one long stride. Candice watched the pool of water in Tim's hands lift to his mouth quickly before it was slurped into his cavernous mouth and then sucked down into his throat. Tim had probably been drinking this water for a while now, maybe ever since he came to the forest. It had to be alright to drink.

        Candice dipped her hands into the refreshingly cool water. She cupped them and quickly pulled it up to drink. The water was fresher than any of those bottled waters she always had. And it was definitely better than the tap water that always, no matter how clean the pipes seem, had a little bit of a metal taste. She had no way of explaining the taste that slushed against her tongue. It was nothing she had ever tasted, and something she never thought she would ever do. In her world, natural water was not something to drink in fear of pollution.
She quenched her thirst in a few slurps and looked to Tim who was still drinking. Candice shifted and rotated her legs from under her to a cross legged position and then to a sitting position with her legs straight out. Dipping her feet in cool, healing waters made her sigh and relax her muscles.

        "Is something wrong?"

        Candice turned her head and looked up to see Tim still in the same sitting position but now looking at her with a bit of concern. "I'm fine. The water just feels good on my feet after walking a bit on that rocky floor," Candice said.

        "You're feet hurt from the floor of my cave?"

        "Yeah, doesn't your feet hurt from walking on it all the time?"

        "No, I've never had a problem. Maybe it's because a giant's skin is tougher than human's skin. I know it's thicker and I know giant slayers have to have a special blade to even cause damage. My kind's skin could be just all around tougher as well."

        That statement seemed strange to Candice; Tim's skin seemed very soft and comfortable to her when she had to sit on his hand. Yet, the bottoms of his feet seemed to be unaffected by the jagged surface of his home. How could skin that soft be so tough and think? "Unlike you, I may need shoes as soon as possible," Candice informed. Candice looked down at her greasy pajama bottoms. "And more clothes for that matter."

        "One pair is not enough?"

        "I could just have one pair and clean it, but what do I where when it's drying?"

        "Oh – right – I didn't think about that?"

        "What do you do when you have to wash that loincloth? Do you have extra clothes?" Candice glanced at the loincloth, but could barely see it since his legs were so large compared to her. The loincloth draped on the slope his lap created, covering whatever was between his legs.

        Tim blushed a bit as he recalled what he normally did. "Well, normally during the summer and spring times, I just wash it and walk around naked till it dries. I guess I should make another one when I can. Normally, it's all right to be naked this far in the forest. Humans don't travel this deep."

        "Do all giants where just loincloths and such?"

        "No, we have clothes. I used to have some that fit me, but I grew out of them. I've been in this forest since I was ten years old. When I finally grew out of all my clothes, I didn't know what I was going to do. I was lucky it wasn't winter, because I had to go around naked for a while. I'm glad I made the loincloth. I feeling a lot more comfortable not being completely nude, and I think having some clothes on scares the locals a little less. Though they'd be frightened no matter what I do."

      "What do you do for winter? Surely that's not warm enough for you during winter."

        "I have very thick fur coats for winter that I took from my parents while running out of the village. And I made some furred shoes so my feet don't freeze from the snow."

        There was a long silence for a moment before Tim continued by saying, "I think we should get some clothes for you tomorrow and maybe even some winter coats. I know it's summer now, but we should get them now so we don't have to worry about that down the road."

        "It's summer here?"

        "Yes, why do you ask?"

        "It was spring where I come from."

        "Oh."

        "Tim, how do you plan on getting clothes for me?"

        "I have one idea, but you might not like it."

        "And what idea would that be?"

        "We could get clothes from the nearest human settlement."

        "The town that thought I was a witch?"

        "So, you want to go to a human village?" Candice asked as the giant whose palm she was sitting on now as he walked through the forest.

        "We are going to need clothes for you. Where else are we going to get human clothes?" Tim stated as his eyes scanned the forest.

        "But, are there other villages that are close to the forest other than that one that believed I was a witch?"

        "It is the closest human village."

        "And do you have some sort of plan?"

        "What do you mean?"

        "I mean how are you going to approach the village? What's your plan on getting the clothes from them? Have you ever approached a human village before?"

        "Well. No, I have not. I've encountered humans when they entered the forest and when they tried to give me human sacrifices, but I have never gotten close to their actual village."

        "And how do you think the village will act as soon as you get there?"

        "They would, they would probably act the same way they do when I encounter them individually."

        "That's right, they'd panic," Candice informed him. Suddenly, Candice pictured all those giant monster movies her brother and her would watch every so often. The Godzilla movies, Cloverfield, King Kong, Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, and other less popular giant monster movies reeled behind her eyes. She imagined Tim, who was probably a little over half the size of Godzilla, arriving into the human village she had seen earlier that day. In that village, Tim would even look more frighteningly intimidating since this village didn't have sky scrapers. It consisted of mostly huts, and the biggest building would probably be two floors, and those would be the businesses such as the taverns. Those buildings might just barely reach over his ankle, if Candice was calculating it correctly in her head.

        "The villagers will flip out!" Candice continued as the images kept playing in her mind, "They're going to think you're coming to attack them and they will panic. Not only will it be frightening for them because you're a giant, but they believe I'm a witch. They might think I've put you under my spell or something, and that I'm forcing you to attack them. Who knows what accusations they will come up with in their panicked state."

        "Maybe I can convince them that I'm not going to hurt them and that I'm not a monster."

        "You think you can calm down and convince an entire village?"

        "I—I convinced you that I'm not a monster."

        "But I'm one person, and my case was different."

        "How so?"

        "For one, I'm from a place where giants and monsters don't exist. They're in stories that we create, but not real. In this place, giants do exist and humans know it. Humans also probably have a strong believe that monsters and giants, can't be trusted because they're evil. They have most likely been taught at a young age to fear giants and it is programed in their brains that giants are evil and could never be good. They will be much harder to convince differently. Just think about all those other humans you've met individually."

        "Yes, most of those humans ran away as soon as they saw me. And even when they didn't run away at the sight of me, they were too frightened to move. Nothing I said or did could convince them."    

        "Now, imagine a whole village filled with those people."

        Tim stopped in his tracks and thought about what Candice was saying. A trip to the village seemed a lot more impossible than it had when he had first thought of the idea. How was this going to work at all? How could he convince an entire village that he, a one hundred and eighty foot tall giant, wasn't going to harm them and wasn't a monster at all.

        Candice could see that this was upsetting her giant friend. Tim was looking down to her level, but his head was turned away and looking at the grass instead of the hand near his chest. "I'm sorry if I'm upsetting you, but I was just trying to explain to you how hard this will really be."

        "Why were you different from the other humans?" Tim asked, looking over to her again.

        "I'm—I'm not really sure. When I first saw you come out of the woods, I was positive that you were going to eat me or do some terrible things to me."

        "What kind of terrible things?"

        Candice paused for a moment. "Should I tell him the truth? Will it upset him even more to know what people believe he would do to them?" "Just very terrible things," Candice decided to speak up, "Things like you torturing me by tearing off my limbs one at a time before finally killing me, or swallowing my alive so that I'm alive when I enter your stomach and feel the acids dissolve me, or use me for your sexual pleasures, and-" Candice saw the horrified, shocked, and sad expression on Tim's face. There were more fears she had when she had first seen Tim, but she knew that it would hurt Tim too much to go over every one of those fears. "Terrible things like that," Candice finished.

        "People. People believe I would do such things to them?"

        "Yes."

        "I would never."

        "I know that now, but others wouldn't understand."

        "What made you change your mind about me?"

        "I'm not really sure. There were a few reasons, most likely. One reason was because I couldn't go back to the village. They thought I was a witch and the only reason they didn't burn me, was because they thought that it would be more useful for them to sacrifice me to you. With that in mind, I had nowhere I could run to. I have no idea how I got here, and I have no idea how to get back home, since there is no such thing as a giant country in my world. I also couldn't fend for myself in the wild and-"

        "It seems as though you were forced to trust me, as if I might the better of two bad options." Tim sighed upon hearing this."

        "I believed that at first because I still was afraid of what you might do to me, but that's changed now." Candice placed her hand down on Tim's palm and patted it. "So far, you're the only person that's been kind enough to help me, and you haven't done a single thing that could harm me. You've been nothing but gentle and caring. You've been a good friend, Tim, and I trust you completely now. Sure, I'm still going to have to get used to being around a giant, but I know that I am safe around you. I'm glad I met you."

        Tim looked down at Candice with a big smile and watery eyes. "Thank you, Candice. That really means a lot to me. I'm glad I've met you too. It's just too bad it had to be in this situation, with you somehow being far away from home, having nowhere to go, being accused of witchery, and then being offered up as me sacrifice."

        "Come to think of it, that is a very odd way two people to meet, even if it were in a movie or a book. Then again, a giant and a human alone are strange enough of a meeting. But, nothing about this day has been normal."

        There was a stretch of silence as Tim continued his walk, a pace that Candice would never keep up with, even though it was one of Tim's slowest paces. Tim suddenly brought up the subject once again, "Since we have ruled out the option of me just being able to walk up to the human village, how else can we get close for you? How else can we approach the village?"

        Candice didn't like the subject. She didn't want to go back to the place that called her a witch so soon. No, she didn't want to go back to the village period. That village had tried to kill her! Then again, if it hadn't have been for their actions, she would have never met Tim, but that was no excuse to forgive them. Candice was only lucky that she was taken to a gentle giant like Tim. If it would have been a different kind of giant, she would have probably been dead by now. "Are there any other towns close?" Candice hoped there was, but she felt that she would be disappointed with the answer.

        "No, it's the closest human settlement to this forest. Others are a day or more travel, even for me."

        "Oh, of course," Candice muttered as she looked down at her greasy, pink pajama bottoms hating her bad luck.

        "Is something troubling you, Candice?"

        "I'm not looking forward to going to the village again. They tried to kill me, and what if they-"

        "They wouldn't dare try to harm you while I'm around. I won't let anyone harm my only friend. I will protect you, Candice."

        Candice sighed. "That promise makes me feel better with this. Thanks."

        "But we still haven't solved are problem. How are we going to get you some clothes without scarring the whole town to death?"

        "Maybe there's a way to prove to them that you're not a monster by doing something," Candice suggested as she thought deeply on their predicament. There was a spark in her mind. "How often do they offer a sacrifice to you?"

        "Maybe once every—once every month, maybe. Sometimes it's as soon as once every week. Because of their randomness, I tend to just go to the edge of the forest every morning in case there is someone there. Why do you ask?"

        "It's a longshot, but maybe that could be our solution."

        "How so?"

        "Maybe we could wait till they use another person as a sacrifice. What you could do is go over to the sacrifice area like and free the person like usual, but instead of just leaving the person and letting him run home or where ever the people run to when you free them, you could try you best to convince him or her you're not monster and then bring the person back to the village yourself. Maybe once you bring a person back as proof that you don't kill those people they sacrifice, it will be possible to convince them."

        "I've never thought about it like that. Maybe it will work."

        "But we just can't take their clothes. Sure you have the strength and the intimidation to just be able to take whatever you want from them, but I'm guessing that you don't want to be viewed as a big bully or an outlaw to them."

        "Don't worry. I have a way to pay them. You're right, I don't want them to perceive my as anything bad, because I'm not really a bad guy."

        "I know. You're just a big softy aren't you?"

        Tim blushed and looked away from Candice for a while. It was at that moment that he found a tree full of fruit. It was time to pick the fruit and then they would have to find some soft material for Candice to make a bed out of.

        Rick never wanted it to end. He wanted to forever stay pressed against the soft skin of her stomach. He wanted to stay comforted by the warmth that radiated through smooth surface that was dispersing his worries and fears which were haunting him now that he knew the truth, now that he knew he would most likely never be able to go home ever again. If he left the embrace of the giantess he was in, he feared that his depression would attack his mind once again and that he may lose the fight. Rick buried the side of his head deeper into the comfortable and slightly yielding thick skin of the giantess he had luckily come across. His efforts barely made an indentation in Aria's skin, a tiny touch that tickled her stomach only slightly. If she didn't know Rick was being held there by her own hands, she probably wouldn't have even felt him if her mind was too distracted with other worries other than what might be on her skin.  He shut his eyes tightly and sighed as the large fingerprint brushed through the hair on the side of his head.

          Aria didn't want it to end either. Ever since the day she had to leave her home, she hadn't come into contact with another person, except for all the humans that would see her and run from her. This was her first hug she experienced in many years. It felt more special for Aria for that hug to be experienced with a human. She looked down and the human in her hand against her stomach. He was a good person, different from all the other humans. Well, he was different from all other humans except for one. "I can't lose him. I need to protect him. He's from another world with no one else he can turn to. I'm all he has." The responsibility she now had, the responsibility to help this human, this person, her friend, become rooted deep within her mind. She couldn't allow herself to fail him.

        Aria lifted her head and looked out the window. From seeing the orange and red streams of light leaking from between the trees, Aria could tell that the sun was getting ready to take its rest, letting darkness take its hold on the world. Aria sighed. "Rick, it's getting late. We should get some sleep."

        Aria tilted her hand back, letting Rick fall back into her hand. Carefully she flattened her hand again and Rick scooted back and sat straight up in her palm. Aria lifted her hand in front of her face and brought her other hand next to that hand cupping them together to give Rick more room. Rick still didn't sit in the middle where her hands met. Rick was looking down at his legs, instead of the giant face in front of him.

        "Feeling a little better at least?" Aria asked hopefully.

        "Yeah," Rick answered, looking up at Aria's beautiful billboard sized face. "Thank you. It really helped."

        "It was no trouble at all. I can't just leave my new friend in such a sad state, can I? What kind of host would I be? Besides, it helped me a little as well."

        "Right." Rick nodded. Her loneness. Rick looked around and found one of the cabin's windows. "It's getting dark already? I must have been unconscious longer than I thought. When I was knocked out, I don't think it was even noon yet."

        "You were asleep for quite a long time. I was worried you weren't going to wake up."

        Rick stared into those big blue eyes of hers, her irises like small kiddy pools. She was telling the truth, she really did care about him. Rick noticed that when she had asked if he was better after the hug. Besides, why would he receive such comfort from her if she didn't care about him?

        Rick yawned. "Wow, I'm surprised that I'm tired. The sun is just setting."

        "You don't normally fall asleep when the sun sleeps?"

        "No, I'm usually up longer than that. I thought I'd be awake even longer than that since I pretty much slept the whole day away today."

        "You still must be tired from the injury."

        "I guess so. So – um -- where I'm I going to sleep?"

        "Surly I'm not going to sleep in her bed on the pillow." Rick thought "She's going to need to sleep there and what if she rolls around in her sleep, I'd be crushed." Of course, Rick's imagination went wild and thought back to all those giantess stories he read. Some of those stories dealt with the problem of where a tiny person could sleep with a giantess. He found that some of the vore oriented stories tended to have a character sleep in the giantess's mouth, as long as the giantess wasn't going to eat that particular character. Sleeping on a pink bed coated in saliva in a humid room with limited oxygen didn't very much appeal to Rick. Other stories might have the human sleep in the giantess's hand or stomach, but that only worked if the giantess didn't roll around in their sleep.

        Soon, the most popular option popped into his head: the cleavage. Rick gulped. It took nearly all his willpower to keep himself from crawling over to the edge of the hands to look down at the tan valley below. They had just met. She wouldn't put him between her breasts, would she? She was lonely, yes, but lonely enough to allow a stranger to sleep between what was probably the second most private part of a woman's body. What kind of person would do that? "Stop thinking about that, pervert." Rick thought to himself. Rick was glad that his will was stronger than any urges he might have.

        "I believe I have an answer for that," Aria finally said after some consideration. She stood up, still carrying Rick, and she walked over to a small nightstand beside her bed. She bent down and lowered her hands onto the surface, letting Rick step onto it. "I'll be right back." Aria walked off to a different part of the cabin and Rick could only wait for her return.

        She was soon back with a bed in her hands. She set it down next to Rick. Amazingly, the bed was the perfect size for a human, complete with thick blankets and pillows. "I find it a little hard to believe that you obtained this from traveling caravans."

        "And I would say you're right in assuming that. I've had this since I was a child. We giants have dolls and toys just like any other human child."

        "This is a toy bed? But, it's the right size for a human. Your dolls are human sized?"

        "We do have baby dolls, but there are also human sized dolls."

        "What is the reasoning for that?" Rick wasn't sure if he wanted to really know the answer.

        "I told you before that our country puts humans in a lower class, a class so low that they are equal to animals. It's wrong, but very few share my beliefs that humans should be equals. If there are actually more giants like me out there, they're too afraid to stand up for human rights. Because humans are considered to be that low of a class, humans can be used as slaves, pets, toys, even food."

        Aria and Rick both shivered at the word "food". Rick was glad he encountered one of the good giants.

       "There are giants whose job is to go into the human country and kidnap humans. They tend to attack villages that are very close to our country, homes and farms that are far from cities, and just places with little protection. They then sell humans to anyone who wants them. It's all so terrible. They even capture other creatures like animals, monsters, and other sentient races for the same purposes. Our country wants their children to not be afraid of humans, since we're bigger. So, they created human-sized dolls to play with to teach them that humans are nothing but their play things. Sometimes parents just give their children humans to play with."

        Rick pressed his hand in the matrass. It didn't feel like a toy. It felt like the real thing. A real bed meant for a living person. Rick asked, "So, what did you have as a child? A doll or a human?"

        For a brief moment, Rick was able to see the tears in Aria's eyes before she suddenly turned her head away from him so he could no longer see her face. She put her hand up to her face for good measure. "Aria?"

        "I. I don't want to talk about it."

        "OK, I won't." Rick pulled the covers down and got into the bed. "It's very comfortable. Thanks, Aria."

        "I'm glad you like it." Aria turned around. "It's special to me." Aria walked to her own bed and laid herself on it. She turned onto her side so that she faced Rick and Rick did the same so he'd face her. "If you need anything at all, don't hesitate to wake me."

        "I think I'll be fine, as long as you don't snore."

        Aria smiled. "Don't worry, I don't snore. But if you need anything, just yell out. This is not the safest place for a human. I've never seen any vermin in my home, but that doesn't mean that one could get in sometime. Rats and even certain bugs could be dangerous for humans in this forest."

        "I forgot. Even the animals are giants in this place too. Now I'm probably going to have nightmares about them."

        Aria reached out a hand and covered the bed with it. "You safe with me here, I promise," Aria said before retracting her hand back to her bed.

        "Goodnight, Rick."

        "Goodnight, Aria."

        Soon, both were fast asleep unsure of what morning may bring.

        After climbing the ledge of his entrance and picking Candice back up with an open hand, Tim walked back into his cave. He looked around and could just see the outlines of all his things. His stuff was all there. This even included the deer meat he left unattended to when he had left. There was definitely a creature living in the cave systems that made up the back of Tim's cave. Yet, it never stole his food or attacked him. Either the creature was still frightened of him or it found its own food somehow. Tim hoped that this would be enough to keep the creature from getting any closer to Candice, since it had clearly taken interest in her by coming closer to his home than it ever had.  Tim hoped he'd be able to protect his new friend.

        Tim looked down at the small human girl in his hand and said, "Candice, I'm going to need to start the fire again. I'll have to set you down, but you should stay close to my satchel."

        "I understand." She didn't need to be told twice. She knew full well that there was some kind of creature in the back of the cave, and she didn't want to find out what kind of creature it was.

        Tim set his hand down on the cave floor next to the satchel he had previously dropped. As soon as Candice's feet touched the rocky floor, she regretted leaving the soft and comfortable skin that she had been sitting on for quite a while now. Sure it was a bit embarrassing to sit in the hand of another sentient being that was not only her own age but the opposite gender as well, but she couldn't deny the fact that sitting in his palm was a much better option than the cave floor that made the soles of her bare feet ache. Candice sat down beside the large satchel, leaning her body against it with crossed legs to relieve her feet. She watched as the giant boy started the fire with his back turned to her. She was glad that she was on the side closest to the cave entrance and not on the other side of the fire pit.

        Soon, the fire blazed with life and Tim was preparing the leftover meat that he had wrapped up for safe keeping. He knew it wouldn't have kept the creature in the back of the cave from taking it, yet the creature never attempted to steal the food. Tim and Candice kept relatively silent during the entire time Tim cooked the meal over the fire. When the food was finished and ready for them to eat, Tim broke the silence.

        "Candice, um – maybe you should, um." Tim didn't know how to ask the question. It was embarrassing and it felt a little wrong to Tim, as if it was like taking advantage of her or something. He knew it wasn't really, but nevertheless it was still hard for him to ask. "Well, you know that there's no telling whether or not that creature is close and watching us. And you remember what we did after lunch. And I was just wondering if. Well – if we should do the same thing as last time."

        "You, you mean sitting on your lap again?" Candice's cheeks reddened when she remembered what had happened the last time she sat on Tim's lap. Then again, her face had a red glow to it already because of the large fire. Was she going to sit on this boy's giant lap again? It would keep her safe from the creature, but-

        "Yes, but I don't mean anything by it. It's just to keep you safe from that creature if it should decide to attack."

        "Then I guess there'd be no harm in sitting on your lap again. Besides, lying on this hard floor can't be any good for my butt and legs."

        "Maybe I should have gotten the material for you bedding out so that you could sit on that instead of the floor. Sorry."

        "It's alright." Candice stood up and approached the side of one of Tim's thighs.

        "Um, could I get a lift, Tim?" She didn't really want to climb up his leg.

        "Oh, right." Tim lowered his hand and once Candice was on, he lifted her to his lap where she could sit. He gave Candice her meat and started eating his own share. For a long time after Candice shifted herself in a comfortable position on Tim's giant lap, silence blanketed the enter cave. During this silence, Candice focused on eating her meal to keep her mind from returning to the thoughts she had the last time she sat upon Tim's thigh. No, the thought she had didn't involve the fear of the creature that could be watching them from the darkness at that very moment. It was that other brief thought that had crossed her mind, the perverted curiosity that was embarrassing to even admit to having. To keep this thought out of her mind, she forced her head to keep from turning to her right, because that was where the loincloth was draped between Tim's crossed legs. Candice couldn't understand why she was still thinking such thoughts. Sure Tim was quite handsome and clearly very kind and cared about her, but he was a giant and she was a very small human in comparison. She wasn't even big enough to be considered an action figure compared to Tim's size. Candice needed a conversation to dispel the thoughts that the blanket of silence seemed to whisper in her ear.

        "This meat is good," Candice said. "This meat is good? That's all you could come up with?"

        "Oh, well – thanks. It's just plain meat and leftovers. It's not like I have any spices to season it."

        "I know, but it's still good. It's also better than some seasoned foods I have."

        "I wasn't fond of plain meat when I first left my home, but I've gotten used to it, and like it. Sometimes, it tastes better knowing you've hunted and cooked your own food."

        "Wait, you've had seasoned meat?"

        "Yes, why? You don't have such things where you come from?"

        "No, we do. In fact, it's preferred and everyone could have it, but it's just, it's just that. Actually, never mind. It's just a stupid thought that came into my head."

        "It's alright. You can tell me." Tim leaned in closer, almost entirely forgetting about his dinner.

        "Where I come from, we had a past like what it is like in your world now. It was called the middle ages. I wasn't good with history, so I could be wrong, but I thought that spices were rare to come by and only the rich could afford it back then."

        "Really?"

        "Yeah, but I could be mistaken and it could be different here, right?"

        "Right." Tim laughed afterwards, but it was a forced laugh. "So, what is it like where you come from?"

        Clearly the possibility of meeting a person from another world intrigued Tim. Since Candice needed a conversation to distract her thoughts, Candice decided to describe her world. As to be expected, Tim was fascinated by the land she came from, thinking it was some fantastical realm of dreams. They talked for a long time as they ate their dinner and continued the conversation after their meals were finished. Candice would describe something from her world, and Tim would interrupt with a question if he didn't understand what she meant or commented about how strange it was. They were so deep in conversation that neither of them noticed the sun had already set.

        Having decided to lean back against Tim's stomach, occasionally twisting her body around to look up at him, Candice said, "Yeah, very different from this place."

        "Wow, I wish I could go there. It sounds like such a fascinating place to live."

        "You want to go there?"

        "Of course, you home sound way better than this world."

        "But it will be a lot more dangerous for you, Tim. I know there aren't any giant monsters and such, but our humans have armies with far more superior weapons that could kill you. I wouldn't be surprised if they act like all the humans you've encountered in you world."

        "But if any of them are anything like you, they might listen to reasoning and I could explain that I'm note a monster."

        "Maybe, but there's another problem you'd face. We don't have giant animals like there are in this place. What would you be able to eat?"

        "Oh, well it probably wouldn't hurt that much if I were to only stay for a day or two. I really want to see these buildings you call skyscrapers that are taller than me, among other things you talked about, like TV."

        Candice smiled. She imagined being back home, but with her new giant friend there as well. She imagined showing him around her world with him completely bewildered by his surroundings. And if there were a way for him to stay, she realized that she wouldn't mind him staying. She began seeing the advantages of having a giant friend that could pretty much do anything, yet be so gentle, caring, and kind to her. "Yes, being back home and showing you around sounds like fun, but there's a problem. I – I don't know how to get back. I don't even know how I got here or where here is. I don't know if I'm in some alternate reality or a different planet or if I've actually been brought back in time. I think I'm stuck here."

        Candice bowed her head and looked at her legs. Tim could tell that she was upset, and why wouldn't see be. She had no way of going home, and she was trapped in an unknown world of monsters and giants. The worst part of it was that Tim knew that as a friend, he needed to help her, but he had no way of doing so. He didn't know what he could do to comfort her.   

        Tim lowered his hand in front of Candice with his palm up as usual. Confused, Candice looked up at Tim. "Please, get on," Tim encouraged.

        Candice crawled onto Tim's palm and Tim then proceeded by lifting his hand up to his chest. He placed his hand against his chest with his palm still facing upwards. Candice continued to look up at the giant's face, not understanding what he was doing. Tim just continued to look down at her with those caring and concerned brown eyes of his. It was as if his eyes were willing Candice to find comfort from them. Tim lifted his free hand and began nudging Candice with his finger, trying to coax her into standing.

        Candice turned around to see Tim's giant finger had snuck up on her and she looked back up into Tim's eyes with fear in hers. She wasn't afraid he would harm her, because Tim had already proven to her that he was safe to be around. It was her confusion and her misunderstanding of what Tim was trying to do that frightened Candice. But when she stared deeper into his eyes, she felt as though the eyes were pleading for her to trust him and that it'd be alright. Candice stood up slowly, following the instructions of the finger that was against her back.

       Tim was relieved to see Candice stand up and trust him. Gently, he pushed her with his finger, leading her to the edge of his hand where his chest was. There was no fear of falling though, because the edge of his hand was fully against his body. Candice's pace was slow and she was still confused by the giant's actions, but Tim could see that Candice still trusted him and let his finger led her.

        Eventually, Candice reached the edge the large hand. Now, Tim's chest blocked her from stepping any farther. Yet, the large finger continued to gently try to push her back with its tip. He wanted Candice to go farther? What did he want to do? Candice looked up at those brown eyes that looked down at her. Those eyes were filled with a complexity of emotions. They were pleading for her trust. They were caring and concerned. They were everything. Candice took one more step and let Tim's finger push her against his chest allowing the hug to proceed.

        Candice leaned against the chest with her arms bent and hands against Tim's skin which made her look like she had just failed in doing a push up. She turned her head and let its side lie against Tim's skin. She let the warmth and comfort of the hug crash into her like the waves reaching shoreline. The giant finger pressed her firmly against his soft skin while rubbing her back as well. The surface of Tim's chest pushed and pulled her with each breath. The muffled thump of Tim powerful heart rattled Candice's body. Among the surface of the skin rose tiny silver hairs. Well, they'd be tiny hairs too Tim, but too Candice's small frame the hairs could be clearly seen. Pressed against the soft still developing hairs, Candice realized why they were compared to peach fuzz.

        "You know that you are safe here with me, right?" Tim spoke.

        "Yes."

        "We might not find a way of bringing you back home, but I want you to know that you are welcome to stay here with me while you're stuck in this land."

        "I know. Even though I may be stuck in this different world for the rest of my life, I'm glad I'm stuck here with a friend like you."

         Tim had to close his eyes in order to block the tears of joy that tried to seep out of him. "I appreciate that, Candice. I'm glad you feel that way." The hug lasted for a few more long moments with silence until Tim noticed how dark the cave had become. He looked to the fire which was now giving off a very dim dying light. Tim turned his head and twisted his body to look out to the cave's entrance. Night had already fallen. Tim looked back down at the tiny human pressed against his chest. "It's getting late."

        "Yeah." Candice spoke softly, too softly for Tim to possible her tiny voice.  She kept her cheek against Tim's chest and kept her eyes closed. She tried to forget the fact that she was being pressed against a giant person who she barely knew in order to be more relieved with comfort than embarrassed.  

        "We should set up your bed and get some sleep." Tim lifted his finger off Candice's back and she reluctantly backed away to sit in the center of his palm. Tim walked over to his satchel and approached his own bed with was lying on a large flat surface, a surface that was the flattest ground in the cave. Tim knelt down to where an open space was still available for Candice on that flat, smooth surface. With his free hand, he took out the furs he cleaned earlier when they visited the river again to get another drink. He placed a thick piece of fur that would serve as a mattress for Candice.  He lowered the hand Candice was sitting upon to the coat of fur.

        She crawled off the hand and onto the thick fur that was longer than her own hair, but it was soft and warm. She couldn't even feel the rocky surface beneath it. Candice had no idea what animal the fur came from, but she didn't want to think about it because it didn't matter. This fur was amazingly comfortable and that was all that mattered.

        "Comfortable?" Tim asked.

        "Yes!" Candice sprawled yourself out on the fur, rubbing her body against it.

        "There's still more though." Tim took out more pieces of fur. The smaller piece he had he folded it up and presented it to his human friend. "You're pillow." Candice took it and placed it at the head of the bed, laying her head on top of it. "And your blanket." When Candice was ready, Tim draped the cover on top of her.

        As Candice adjusted to a preferable position in her bed, Tim lied down in his own bed and covered up. Both turned onto their sides to look at each other.  

        "Thanks, Tim," Candice said.

        "For what?"

        "For helping me. You could have just left me there on that pole, but you didn't."

        "I couldn't bring myself to leave you there. You would have died."

        "And thanks for seeing me as an equal. With your size and power, you could do anything, but you treat me like a person, and you protect and take care of me."

        "But you are a person, aren't you? Besides, I can't bring myself to hurt people without reason, no matter how small. I would be abusing the power I've gained and that would make me a monster. I'm no monster."

        "Thank you, Tim. I'm glad I came across you when I entered this world. Good night."

        "Good night, Candice."

        Both closed their eyes and waited for their sleep to come, but as they waited to sleep, something watched them from the darkness within the back of the cave, waiting for them to sleep so that it could approach.

        It waited in the darkness, continuing to examine the giant and the human from afar. The creature closed its eyes and listened to the silence. With its heightened senses, it could hear many things, but it wasn't enough to confirm that they were asleep. Concentrating harder, it used its abilities, its extra sense, to heighten the rest of its senses. It mind was more than just being intelligent, it could also many things with its mind, such as reaching out to other minds, like he was doing at that second.

        When its reach came upon their minds, it studied. It could feel the steadied heartbeats within the two beings and hear their deep steady breaths. In their minds, he could tell that dreams were forming and controlling their thoughts. They were asleep. It didn't dwell in those minds, because it didn't like to dwell in the minds of others. Besides, their minds were dreaming and such thoughts didn't make sense. Something that's awake who enters a dreaming mind could go mad from its illogicalness. It had been in their minds long enough to get what it wanted.  Now, it was time for the hard part.

        It closed its eyes once and sighed, trying to get a grip on itself. In all the years that giant came to find its cave, it had never once approached the giant, afraid that the giant would be like all the others giants it had heard tales and rumors of from the humans that used to camp in his cave before the giant made it his home. But now, it had a reason to approach the front of the cave. The giant had arrived with a human. Not once had the giant ever come home with a human, until now.

        The creature bent down till its hands were on the ground, keeping its upper body from plummeting to the ground. It bent its arms slightly lower though before its legs began to propel him forward. It approached slowly, but it always found it difficult to go slow. Sure it could go walk slow and it could be extremely silent, despite its size, but you try controlling all those legs and making them go as slow as possible. It was a lot to concentrate on.

        This creature that lived deep in the cave system was known as a chilotaur. Like many taurian creatures, a chilotaur was a creature that was half-human and half-animal in structure. This creature had the upper half of a human, but beginning where the human's hips should be, there was a long centipede body. It human body connected where the head of the centipede should have been. Its centipede body was black on the top, but on the bottom of the body and the many legs were a pale, yellowish brown. This chilotaur's human upper body was that of a male with pale white skin (it was more of a nocturnal creature) and scrawny looking body. Despite the puny looking physique, it had the strength of an insect, giving it more power than it looked like it had. Its hair was pitch black and it had tan antennas on its forehead. The chilotaur's eyes black, except for his red irises. This chilotaur wasn't a normal chilotaur, but a giant chilotaur. If it stretched its centipede body as vertically as it could, it would be about chest level to Tim. For now, it crawled as lower to the cave floor as it could, hoping it wouldn't wake the giant up.

        Cautiously, the chilotaur crept closer. It had to take a detour and go around the fire pit where there had been a flame which was now dead, but eventually the chilotaur was where it needed to be. With its insect body flat and its stomach against the rock floor, the chilotaur looked down at the human girl as she lied under the covers, clutching the top of the fur blanket rolled up in her fists. The human didn't look frightened; she didn't look like she was having dark and terrible dreams brought up by her worries from her conscious world. No, she looked like she was warm, comfortable, and at peace with her situation.

        The chilotaur glanced back at the giant who was sleeping close by to the chilotaur's left. The giant boy whose age was slightly older than the chilotaur's by a few years was still in deep slumber. The chilotaur didn't dare make a sound to emphasis its relief.

        It turned to face the human again. She appeared to be around the same age as the giant, making her older than the chilotaur. It was still amazed by the how small humans truly were. The human girl was surely a couple of years older, yet she could fit in its hand. Because of this drastic size difference between the two species, humans were fragile creatures in such hands, a reason why the chilotaur never tried to hold a human, let alone go near one. Up until this moment, the chilotaur had never been this close to a human, or any race of similar size. This time, it knew it had to break its own rule. It would have to take the human away from the giant,  in order to keep her safe.

        Glancing back at the giant, it saw he was still asleep. It still knew nothing of the giant. It did know if the giant was good or evil or the giant's views on smaller life forms. There's just not much one could learn from keeping a distance and watching someone who was alone all the time. Not many people talk about themselves when they were alone, all speech was internal and nearly all personality couldn't be determined unless a person was talking with another person. Even if the chilotaur had the ability to dive into other's minds, it still wasn't particularly strong in said ability, and the mind was a personal place. One of the only places where one could be themselves.

        Even if the chilotaur watched all the interactions it could with the giant and the human, it still couldn't be entirely sure about the giant's intentions. On the surface, the giant seemed to genuinely care about the human and actually treat her as an equal, but looks could be deceiving. The giant could have been playing an act to fool the human in believing she was safe with him, so she'd let her guard down. Then again, why would she need her guard down? She was around a giant, a giant that could do anything he wanted without any resistance. Unless, the giant was pretending to be nice so that when he did start showing a darker side, it would be shocking and more torturous. The chilotaur used to hear many stories of cruel giants and all of the inhuman things that did to smaller sentient beings, only because they were bigger and had the power to do so.

        "The giant might actually be truthful about his friendship with this human, but I can't take that risk. I don't know this giant that well, but I know she'll be absolutely safe with me," the chilotaur concluded.

        The creature looked back down at the human with both hands lowered, reaching for the human to pick her up carefully. There was only one problem, only one thing that stopped his hands! The human was awake!

        When Candice opened her eyes, not knowing why she decided to wake up in the middle of the night. Above her was darkness, but in that darkness, two giant eyes stared back down at her. These were not the eyes of her new giant friend. These eyes were black with crimson red irises. Candice froze like a deer looking straight into the headlights of an oncoming car. Those eyes were too terrifying for her to be able to let out a scream. It was just caged in her throat. Worse than those eyes, were the giant hands that were almost upon her. Candice began to hyperventilate.

        The hands quickly withdrew causing Candice to look back up at the creature's face. Examining the eyes, she could figure out the outline of the head. It was human, except for the eyes and two things poking from its forehead. As she continued to try and scream, she noticed that there was something odd about the giant looking down at her. Despite those red eyes, there was fear in them, as if pleading for her not to scream. What she could see from the face, the creature looked young, maybe no older than ten or eleven. However, the scream came out before the realization.

        Tim's arm shot up and wrapped around the creature's neck forcing both giants into the darkness. All Candice could do was sit there and stare into the darkness. Blurs of movement could just barely be seen and the sounds of the clash of the giants echoed through the enormous cave. The blows those giants must have been throwing had strength that Candice couldn't even imagine. Just one of those punches would probably break every bone in her body.

        The giant upper body of a boy tumbled into a spot of the cave where the moonlight lit up. The body looked like just another giant, but it was scrawnier than Tim and paler. His upper body was completely naked, like Tim's. He had shaggy black hair and two antennas poking out of his forehead. Seeing the giant for the first time in the light, her suspicions turned out to be correct. The creature was a boy close to ten years old.

        Candice saw a glint of metal in the moonlight and remembered Tim's dagger. "Tim, wait!"

        Tim stopped and turned to Candice with a completely confused expression. "Wasn't it attacking you?"

        "Look at him."

        Tim did as Candice said and saw the giant boy curled in on himself, arms protecting its head. "P-please don't hurt m-me," the creature pleaded while shifting away from Tim, revealing his centipede body in the moonlight.

        Candice shivered. She hated and feared bugs. This giant creature was part insect!

        Tim looked away from his human friend and back to the strange creature. The creature that was half-human and half-centipede scurried away from Tim, but closer to the entrance to the cave. It would have wanted to run back to its home deep in the cave system, but it would have to get past the giant with the knife. So, the creature huddled against the wall in full moonlight. Its human upper body had its back against the wall while the centipede body was wrapped around in a strange contorted way, showing off the centipede underbelly. The creature's human arm were raised and crossed, making a barrier for its face. The creature was sobbing. As it sobbed it seemed to be repeating words, but the only words Tim could interpret were "Don't hurt me".
        

        "It's a boy?" Tim realized. Tim shook his head, because that didn't mean anything. He had seen plenty of giant kids even younger than this creature enjoy torturing and even eating humans. Plus, this creature probably wasn't even in the same class of species. This made the creature more dangerous and unpredictable, especially since Tim had never heard of such a creature.
Still holding the knife, Tim threatened, "Stay right there."

        The creature only cringed in response.

        Tim backed away, still fixing his eyes upon the half-centipede creature. When he was kneeling beside Candice, he asked, "Are you alright?"
Candice didn't answer. She just stared at the insect body with an expression of both fear and disgust.

        "Candice, are you alright?" Tim asked a little louder.

        Candice looked away from the creature to see Tim kneeling beside her and looking down at her with concern. "What?"

        "Are you alright? Did that creature hurt you?"

        "No, I'm fine," Candice said with little sureness in her voice. She even looked down at herself to see if she was alright. When she tilted her head upward again, Tim was staring back at the creature to make sure it was staying put.

        "You screamed, what happened?"

        "I woke up to see it staring at me. Its hands were reaching for me."

        "It was probably wants to eat you."

        "But, when I woke up, it backed off."

        "What? That doesn't make sense. What does it want?"

        Candice turned her head in the direction of the creature, but instead of staring at the centipede, she focused her eyes on the human part of the creature. There, she saw a frightened boy, not a monster. "Maybe he didn't mean us harm. He's just a boy. Look how frightened he is."

        "We shouldn't trust it so easily. We don't even know what it is."

        "You haven't seen a creature like this?"

        "No."

        Candice sighed and whispered, "My brother would probably know what it is. He'd know if it was dangerous or not."

        "We need to figure out what it wants," Tim stated. "What do you want? Why are you here?" Tim directed his questions to the creature.

        "I didn't m-mean any harm," the creature replied between sobs.

        "Then what the hell were you doing to Candice? She said that you were reaching for her when she woke up."

        "I w-wasn't going t-to hurt the human."

        "Then what were you doing? Were you going to eat her?"

        "Eat a human? I would never. I would never do that." The creature shook its head while still protecting it with his arms.

       "Then what were you doing? Answer!"

        "I, I was making sure she was alright," the creature cried out.

        "What?" Tim replied in disbelief.

        Candice was just as baffled as Tim.

        The creature explained while under the barrier of his arms, "I heard about g-giants. They do t-terrible things to humans. I was w-worried you w-were one of those g-giants."

        There was a long moment of shock for both Tim and Candice. Could it be true? Was the creature only checking to see if Candice was alright? Candice examined the creature. Still continuing to fix her gaze on the human part of the creature rather than the centipede body, Candice was able to feel sorry for the giant child. He looked so frightened. "Tim, he's like you," Candice said.

        "Let's not completely trust it so easily. We don't know anything about this creature. It could be all an act," Tim whispered.

        "We should still at least give it a chance to win our trust."

        Tim sighed. There was still a chance the creature was telling the truth and if it was, it could become an ally. "I'm not one of those giants," Tim informed the creature. "I'm going to put the knife down, but if you try to attack us-"

        "I won't, I promise."

        "Then as long as you don't attack, neither will I."

        When Tim placed the knife down on the floor, the creature lowered its arms. The creature calmed down a little, tears stopped leaking from its eyes, but its cheeks were still wet, and it was still nervous.

        "What's your name?" Candice called out to the frightened child.

        "Kage," the creature answered, wiping his face. "My name is Kage."

        "What are you?" Tim asked.

        "Tim!" Candice snapped. She couldn't believe Tim asked that. Sure, she was curious of what kind of creature Kage was, but it was just the way Tim had said it and also it was the timing. It was as if Tim saw Kage as more of an animal than a person, or at least that's how it could have been interpreted. How could Tim be so rude? She stared up at Tim and saw how he focused on the giant boy. "He still sees the boy as a possible threat. He's acting this way, because he's protective of me. I can't blame him. I'm the first friend he's probably had in a long time. Of course he'd be cautious of me being around other giants, but he still has to see this giant is just a boy."

        "I just think we ought to know what he is," Tim replied. He bent down closer to Candice from his kneeling position and added in a whisper, "We need to know what it's capable of."

        "I'll say it again, Tim. He's a boy." Candice turned her attention to the giant cowering boy. Kage no longer covered his face, but he was still pressed against the cave wall with his centipede body still in a protective, contorted looking position. "How old are you—Kage? "

        "T-ten," Kage answered. Shyness, nervousness and fear were still evident in Kage's quiet voice.

        You see, Tim. He's only ten years old."

        "He's a giant though. I know toddlers from my own race do terrible things to humans. He may be ten, but his size makes him dangerous to you, Candice," Tim informed.

        Tim tore his eyes away from the possible threat to look down at Candice. He was still bent close in his kneeling position. He was sitting on one of his legs while the other up and pressed against his chest. His left arm was draped on his knee, while his right hand was a giant vertical pillar plastered on the cave floor to support his weight. The hand on the cave floor was very close to Candice's position, just in case. He stared directly down at his small human friend and she looked directly up as his face. By her stern expression with eyes filled with both pity and hope, Tim could see that Candice believed the strange creature called Kage was trustworthy, based solely on this first encounter and his youth. He knew she wanted this new giant to be like him. Or maybe she had just become so brave or used to Tim's size now and believed all giants were like him.

        Tim inwardly wished he could trust the cave dweller like Candice did, but he had different experiences with giants. Candice was lucky to come across Tim for her first encounter with a giant, which was probably causing her naïve trustworthiness to other giant. But Tim knew better. He had lived most of his years with his own kind and knew the terrible things they were capable of doing to humans. He wished most of his own kind could be more like him, but he had never encountered another giant with similar views on humans as his. This made it impossible to befriend his own kind. He just couldn't trust giants, not until they could prove themselves.

        He had a stronger reason now to distrust giants—Candice. Now, he had finally befriended a human, and not just that, but the human now lived with him! They were still in giant country which meant that everything was dangerous to the small human. As a friend, it was his duty to protect her from such dangers because she was helpless in this land of giants. It was Tim responsibility to make sure Candice wouldn't suffer the same fate of so many other humans trapped within the borders of the giant kingdom. If anything should happen to her. If she were to get hurt, eaten, or killed in one of the so many possible ways she could be killed by a giant, then it would be Tim's fault. It would be his fault, because it would mean that he failed to protect her, to keep her safe with him. Tim could not let that happen.

        "Candice, this creature may be younger than us, but it's still dangerous. It's still much bigger than you, giving it the power to do whatever it wants to do to you. Maybe kids are mostly good and kind in your world and it's the same in this world. But it's a different matter when giant kids don't see humans as a person and only see them as a plaything, a pet, or even a snack. I've seen terrible things happen to humans where I used to live. I've seen children younger than this creature commit some of those terrible acts. I've seen fates befall on humans that one wouldn't imagine occurs in Hell itself. Most giants aren't like me."

        Tim paused and Candice looked back at the giant boy. Could such a frightened child be the monster Tim claimed it could be? She found it hard to believe. Come to think of it, less than twenty-four hours ago, she didn't think she would ever trust Tim. Now, she felt he was a great friend she couldn't be without. In fact, he was the reason she was still alive.

        "How old are you, Candice?" Time asked.

        "Fourteen years old, why?"

        "This creature may only be ten years old, but that's not that much younger than you and I. Don't underestimate him. Besides, this is a taurian creature which makes it highly more dangerous than a normal giant, because it is half animal, and could give in to its animal instincts. This thing is half-insect, and from what I know of giant bugs, they are cold, heartless, cruel, simple-minded beasts. If this creature is anything like its insect half, it probably wouldn't think twice about eating anything smaller than it, despite sentience. After all, some bugs will eat their own mates!"

        "I know you're hesitant in trusting him, but we shouldn't assume such things. It wasn't long ago that I assumed you were a monster and that I feared you. I gave you a chance. We should give him a chance."

        Tim sighed.

        Suddenly, a voice interrupted the giant and human's conversation. "Chilotaur." It was the only word the creature said as it still huddled against the wall.

        "What?" Tim was the first to reply as he and Candice turned their attention back to the creature.

        "You, you asked what I was. I'm a chilotaur," Kage informed.

        "Is there another name your species goes by? I've never heard of such a name."

        "It is what humans call us. There is no other name."

        Tim looked back down at Candice. "Have you heard of such a creature?" he asked.

        "No, there isn't any such creature in my world. My brother's the mythical creature expert, not me."

        "You've never heard of my species?" Kage asked, directing his question to Tim.

        "Then after all these years, my fear is confirmed."

        "What are you talking about?"

        However, the chilotaur didn't answer Tim's question. Kage just stayed where he was, new tears forming in his eyes for a different reason other than fear of the giant.

        "You don't have to talk about it if it makes you upset," Candice called out, taking pity on the giant child.

        "Th-thank you," Kage said, wiping the moist bags of his eyes.

        "Could you come a little closer, Kage? I don't want to have to yell in order for you to hear me."

        "You don't have to yell, I'll be able to hear you."

        Testing it out, Candice spoke in a normal volume, "You can hear me from way over there?"

        "Yes, I can."  

        Candice realized that Kage had probably heard Tim and her conversation. She looked back up at Tim to glare at him. But he was still staring at Kage and not paying attention to her. Funny, never in a million years did Candice think she'd have the courage to glare sternly at a giant that was nearly two hundred feet tall, but she found herself getting used to the giant and even if he should ever become angry with her, she truly believed he still wouldn't bring harm to her.

        Candice focused back on Kage who was clearly upset by something. She could no longer just stand idly by while the giant boy cried. It was bad enough seeing a kid cry, but this was a giant creature. It just looked so pitiful when something that enormous was just that sad.

        She sighed. "I can't believe I'm doing this, but I can't just watch this anymore. I have to do something, even if it means approaching this giant creature." Candice shook her head in disbelief. Never in a million years would she have thought something like this would ever happen. Hell, who in their right mind walks up to a giant half-human half-centipede creature?

        Though still a little hesitant about approaching the chilotaur, she couldn't allow herself to do nothing at all. She stood up and started walking towards the giant creature. Just as her foot left the comfort of her fur bed and stepped onto the smooth, cold surface of the cave that was around the sleeping area, a familiar wall of flesh slammed down in front of her. The sudden movement startled her enough to nearly fall backwards onto her butt. In front of her was Tim's hand whose palm faced her as it was set vertically on the floor. She was close enough to the giant hand that it blocked her view of the giant chilotaur in the background. Candice followed the long arm with her eyes and eventually met the eyes of her enormous friend.

        "What are you doing!?" Tim asked with more concern in his expression than anger.

        "He's upset. I think it's best that I go over there and talk to him."

        "You do realize how dangerous that sounds, right?"

        "I need to try. I need to do this."

        "You're not going over there alone."

        "He's frightened of you, Tim. You going over there with me will more than likely make things worse."

        "I can't let you do this. It's not safe for you."

        "It's alright, Tim. I don't think Kage is going to hurt me."

        "But you don't know for sure."

        Candice reached up to the top of Tim's hand which towered close to another three feet above her head. With her hand placed on the side of Tim's hand, she stared up at the giant with pleading eyes. "Let me try talking to him, Tim, please. I can see good in him."

        "You've been wrong before. You thought I was a monster." Tim examined the creature closely—suspiciously.

        "I was scared of you because it was hard for me to look past your size. Once I got past that, I know there's no reason for me to fear you. I feel like he's like you, a good person."

        Tim kept silent and continued to stare at the chilotaur, his hand did not lift up from in front of Candice's path.

        With the hand that was still placed on top of the flesh wall, Candice began to pat and stroke the skin, in hopes of trying to assure Tim that this was the right thing to do and that it was something she needed to do. "Tim, please. Trust me. It will be alright."

        Tim looked back down at his human friend. He admired her courageous and kind heart. Here was a person smaller than his smallest finger, yet she wanted to approach another giant creature that she believed was good based solely on a feeling. Plus, she was convincing and comforting in her argument, but Tim still had troubles allowing her to go near the giant creature alone, without any way for her to protect herself. All his past encounters with his own giant kind was making it difficult for him to trust that Candice would be alright. But trust. If the friendship between him and Candice should continue, trust was needed. Candice had trust in him now. Now, he needed to show her he had faith in her.

        Tim sighed. "Candice, it's just that—I—If anything were to happen to you, if you were to get hurt, then—I just—I wouldn't be able to." The words were already there, ready for him to use, but no matter how many ways he tried to phrase them differently, he couldn't find the strength to say them. If Candice were to get hurt, if he failed to keep her safe, he just wouldn't be able to forgive himself. Also, now that he finally had a friend after those years of loneliness, how could he go back to those lonely days?

        "I understand what you're trying to say," Candice called up as she continued to stroke the giant hand. "You care about me and you just want to make sure I stay safe. I understand. But please, let me do this. Trust me; I know what I'm doing. I'll be safe."

        Tim couldn't believe what he was doing, but he found it harder and harder to say no to his new friend. Tim sighed again. Was he really going to let her approach the strange giant creature he had never heard of all by herself? Tim lifted his hand away and whispered a final warning, "Please, be careful."

        As soon as the enormous wall of flesh lifted away, Candice could see Kage again and she began her approach. She prayed that she was right about the giant child.

        “Rick.”

        Rick groaned and turned his head the other way so that it now rested on his right
cheek on crossed arms.

        “Rick.”

        Not now. I need sleep. Rick had had a hard day. Maybe it hadn’t been physically stressing, other than the long walk and then the long climb down a giantess’s bed which had both been physically demanding, but it had also been mentally stressful to Rick. It wasn’t every day that one wakes up to find themselves in another world full of mythical creatures, then find one of those mythical creatures which ends up being a giantess standing tall at the two-hundred foot mark, only to find out that there might not be a way back home and that he may never see any of his family and friends ever again.

        The only plus side of that day was that he came across a gentle giantess that treated him as an equal and not some pet, slave, toy,  or an object she now owned. Because being a giantess/giant fan, he had read many stories, seen many pictures, drawings, and movies, were the giant/giantess was all but friendly and kind. He knew what beings of such immense height were capable of doing, and though he fantasized about some of those “fetishes”, being able to play them out in real life opposed to dreaming it up were two different things. Because no one wants to really die for a
fetish. At least in dreams, you can wake up and be alive again.

        Thinking about how Aria was around, only made him the more grateful. She could have done so many terrible things to him, yet she chose not to use all that power she had to harm him or control him in any way. All she was kind, gentle, generous, and
understanding around him. Rick could not ask for a better giantess to be around. No, he couldn’t ask for a better person to be around. Especially since it seemed as though the giants of this realm were usually the opposite of Aria and probably more like the evil giants and giantess he read about.

        “Rick.”

        Rick still didn’t wish to wake up just yet. Sure, waking up to a lovely giantess would be a great and comforting sight to behold, but for now, he just wanted to stay in bed and he reminded himself of the comfort Aria gave him when she hugged him the other day. The two surfaces of soft and warm skin he had been
against, the minuscule indentation he must have made when he was pressed slightly deeper into the skin of her stomach, all the depression and darkness that faded away due to the warmth that radiated from her comfort. He just wanted to remember it all as he continued to lie in-

        Wait a minute! I’m not sleeping in a bed! Rick couldn’t believe he didn’t notice it before. His head, arms, and chest were lying horizontally like it should, but the rest of his body was in a sitting position. His arms were crossed with his head lying on them, and they were lying on a hard, wooden-like surface. What the hell?

        “Rick!”

        And that voice, it wasn’t female. It wasn’t Aria’s voice. Great, where the hell am I now? Did another damn portal teleport me another world? What am I going to wake up to next? Damn, if it’s Felarya, then I’m screwed.

        A hand touched Rick’s shoulder and began to shake him as the voice demanded, “Rick, wake up!”

        Wait, I know that voice. Was I really that groggy to not realize it sooner?

        Rick opened his eyes and lifted his head from off his arms and the hand on his
shoulder pulled away. Standing beside him, in front of his field of vision, was Rick’s best and closest friend, Jack.

        What the hell? Did he get sucked into this different world as well? But him and Jack couldn’t have been in the giant world, because Jack would be freaking out and would not be this calm. Unlike Rick, he didn’t have a giantess fetish. Hell, even though Jack was Rick’s closest friend, Rick hadn’t even told him about his giantess fetish.

        “Wha-?” Rick asked as he turned his head around the room. The surrounding area was no longer Aria’s giant world. There were no giant furniture, no giant one room
cabin, he was no longer in a miniature bed made for giants’ toys, and there was no giant bed beside him with a giantess slumbering in said bed.  No, none of that was there. Instead, he was in a classroom, made for humans. He was in an actually KCC classroom. His economics classroom, with the large room filled with long white tables that fit up to four people, white walls with a whiteboard and a projector screen in the front room, with no windows. His classmates and his teacher seemed to have
already cleared the room. All that was left was him, Jack, and another friend of his Brandon.

        “Man, you passed out in class, Rick. We didn’t think we’d ever wake you up,” Brandon commented, patting Rick on the back.

        “I fell asleep?” Rick asked.

        “Yeah, who wouldn’t with that drab economic presentation?” Jack added.  “I’ve  had troubles staying awake through those things.”

        “I’m the pass out king when it comes to falling asleep in this lame class. I don’t know why I fucking took it,” Brandon added.

        “But, I’ve never fallen asleep in class before. I don’t understand how I could have
fallen asleep,” Rick said.

        “You been partying, Rick? That gets me all the time.” Brandon punched Rick’s shoulder lightly.

        “Brandon, you know I don’t do that sort of thing. You know how damn reclusive I am.”

        “Yeah, I’m just messin’ with yuh.”

        “I just don’t understand how I fell asleep.”

        “I’ve seen many of our classmates pass out at least once in this class. Don’t feel bad about it, Rick. It’s not your fault. It’s the class,” Jack assured his friend.

        Rick just shook her head and stood up. “Let’s just get out of here.”

        Rick slung has backpack over his shoulders and walked out of the classroom with his friends on either side of him. They began walking down the hallway, which would lead a stairwell so that they could walk down to the first floor and out the front doors of the facility to the parking lots. As they walked down the hall, Rick’s friends soon began to talk about the normal stuff: movies, games, TV shows, and more of the usual same old. But Rick couldn’t bring himself to get in on the conversation. All he could think about was what happened to him while he was with Aria. Could that have all been a dream? Rick just couldn’t wrap his mind around it. It had just felt so real. It was not like any dream he had ever had. Oddly, he found himself missing Aria and the world he originally felt trapped in, and it wasn’t because she was a giantess he always dreamed of being with. No, it was something else. Could it be that-

        “Rick, is something wrong? You seem distant,” Jack noted.

        “Sorry, I was just thinking about a dream that I had. I’m having troubles believing it really didn’t happen. It just felt so real.” Rick looked around and by this time, he realized that they were already at the stairwell and they began to walk down to the first floor. They were on the third.

        “What happened?” Brandon asked.

        “In the dream?”

        “No, what happened in your bedroom last night. Of course what happened in the dream.”

        “This is strange, because I told you it seemed so real, but what happened in it is very unbelievable. I just got out of class, never fell asleep. I drove home and nothing unusual happened. Lauren came home and Mom was working late. We fell asleep and when I wake up the next morning, I find myself in the middle a forest.”

        “In a forest?” Jack asked before the three of them looked both ways and crossed the street to get to the first parking lot. There were six parking lots in total, three on either side of one of the roads. On this one half of the six parking lots, their cars were all in the farthest parking lot. Their reasoning, they always got to class early enough, and if you got to class early enough, why park in the front, where everyone’s in a hurry to find a spot? There were far more accidents in the front parking lots. College kids were just crazy drivers, a fact that applies to the majority.

        “Yeah, I woke up in a forest and had no idea what was going on. Turns out, I found myself in another world or another dimension and a random portal took me there. Turns out, this other world was medieval and had a separate country where giants lives, giants that were about two hundred feet tall.”

        “Godzilla people!” Brandon interrupted.

        “Close, I think Godzilla is actually three hundred feet tall, but that’s not important. I come across a woman around my age, but she’s one of these giants. She finds me unconscious and takes me to her home.”

        “What did she do?” Jack wondered.

        “Well, I woke up in her giant bed at first and she was nowhere around. I thought that I had to get away, before a giant came in the house, because I was afraid of what a giant could do to me. I was able to climb down and crawl out from under the door. Turns out, this giantess was outside, showering under a waterfall.”

        “She was naked?” Brandon questioned.

        “Yes.”

        “Was she hot?”

        “Does it matter? Just let him finish the story,” Jack demanded.

        “She then saw me,” Rick informed.

        “Awe shit,” Brandon commented.

        “I thought she was going to kill me, but she didn’t. She was a very lonely giantess, outcast by her own kind, because of her love for humans. Because she treats humans as equals. She was a gentle giantess around me and never did anything to harm me. I spent time with her, she feed me, made a bed for me from her doll beds, and when I fell asleep, I suddenly woke up here.”

        “Weird dream.”

        “Yeah, but it felt so real.”

        The three young men reached their final destination at the back off the parking lot, where there was enough empty space in the morning for all three of their cars to be parked next to each other. Rick looked upon his familiar Hyundai Santa Fe and touched the hood of the smooth red surface. He rubbed his hand along the hood and over the right side where his hand dipped into the dent. He crashed the side of the car into the edge of the garage by turning the car too soon as he tried to back out of it. Rick shook his head and sighed. When was the last time he saw the car? Only a couple of hours ago? It felt like it had been more than an entire day since he had stolen a glance at the vehicle.

        “Rick, is something wrong?”

        Jack’s voice snapped Rick back into the present. Rick looked up to the left of his car. Among the three cars, he was parked on the furthest to the right this time making both Jack and Brandon to the left. “Wha-?” It was all Rick was able to say as he looked up.

        “Dude, you’re acting weird all the sudden,” Brandon added as he was standing, half leaning out of the open door of his driver seat with his left leg in the car, his left arm on the roof and the rest of his body leaning out. “I mean, even fuckin’ weirder than usual.”

        “I’m sorry. It’s just that ever since I woke up, I’ve been out of it,” Rick explained.

        “Well, if that dream you had is like all your other dreams, then you have some weird ass dreams.”

        “Brandon!” Jack snapped.

        “What? It’s that bizarre dream that put him in this zoned out state.”

        “It’s not the unusual dream’s bizarreness that’s the cause,” Rick said.

        “So, you don’t normally have dreams like that?”

        “What?”

        “You called the dream unusual.”

        “Brandon, what the hell does that have to do with anything? What does it matter if it’s a usual dream or not?” Jack asked.

        “Damn, Jack, I’m just asking questions is all.”

        “And the answer is no. I don’t normally have dreams like that.” But of course, Rick told a lie. Because of his… likes… thoughts and dreams about giant beings gathered and took refuge in his subconscious. Not only would they control him during his sleeping hours, but there were times when the strong giant dreams force him into a daydream. Luckily, this happens when he does some mundane task. They came every night since Rick’s desires came to be realized and he knew that their presence in his mind would continue to stay for the rest of his life. These dreams varied incredibly. He shrunk in many different places: the beach, the mall, the park, at a friend’s house, the house of a girlfriend that didn’t exist, and even in the comfort of his own home. (Of course, there were even more stereotypical places Rick shrunk in his dreams, but why list all of them?)  He witnessed random, planned, and accidental growths of friends, family, strangers, nonexistent characters, himself, and even animals (some of them, humans and animals alike, turned into “furries” or “Scalies”). Apparently, it didn’t matter what the gender or species the giant was. That’s how much those macro/micro fetishes got to him.

        Though in his mind, he believed he told a partial lie. Yes, Rick had multiple giant dreams, but none had felt so real. He swore that he really was there and that it was not a dream at all. And, that hug, the one that pulled him out of such a hopeless state, how could that not have been real?

        That moment in time emerged back into his mind and it endowed all those feelings back to his present senses. When he was in such a depressed state, he took little notice to being picked up, but now, he felt as though Aria was there right now picking up his tiny frame. Fingers nearly as thick as his entire torso pressed themselves against his sides, and despite all that strength those two fingers possessed compared to his entire body, they did not once press too tightly. It was the right amount of firmness without applying any discomfort, a great feat for something that could crush him without breaking a single bead of sweat. To her, it had to have been like she wasn’t carrying anything at all, let alone a tiny living person.

        Rick’s sock covered feet ascended from the vast wooden floor of the tabletop he was on. It should have been frightening to be lifted away from the solid ground, like rising up to the top of a thrill ride. The only difference was that Rick wasn’t in some seat with a harness. There was no machine to keep him from falling. Instead, two giant fingers held him afloat, two digits from a living being with only her will stopping her from parting those fingers a little more and letting Rick plummet to the hard wood far below. Even with both of his arms draped atop those colossal digits, his arms wouldn’t be long enough to keep from falling, if they parted to their full extent. He was completely at her mercy.

        Rick floated upward gently. His stomach did not drop and the sense of vertigo was not an issue. Aria lifted him slowly and clearly took into account the size difference between them. But to know the right speed that would keep him from getting the least bit dizzy, it was like she had the time and practice to perfect the art of handling a human.

        Before he could ponder any longer about how such a gigantic being could place such gentleness in her movements and in her grip when he was only close to two inches tall compared to her, a new sensation overwhelmed his body. Aria placed Rick against her naked stomach. Like the warmth that radiated from the giantess’s skin and sweep away Rick’s depression, the comfort erased all thoughts in his mind entrancing him into a tranquil state. Overwhelmed by the consolation this two-hundred foot tall giantess offered to him, Rick nestled against comfy flesh of her belly flesh. It was like nothing he had ever laid upon. For years, he dreamed about such an experience, to lay on a body part of a giantess, to have the very ground to be a living, breathing creature. But everything he imagined could not prepare him for the actual experience. What was there to compare it to? He laid on a giant stomach. Her vast, smooth skin lined with soft peach fuzz which would probably be naked to a giant’s eye formed the perfect bed. The warm that came from her skin and the gentle rise and falls of her stomach as she breathed would relax him even in the most stressful of days. Rick was in paradise.

        Aria pressed a little firmer, but his tiny body barely left an indentation in her skin. Was he even there? Could see even feel him? Whatever the case, it was clear that she knew he was there. She gave him every ounce of her attention. Every movement, every word, every thought, and every caress was focused on consoling Rick in his darkest hour. She was an angel, no, a tender and merciful goddess attending to a mere mortal who was unworthy to be in her presence. Yet with every stroke of that finger, Rick felt like he found a place he belonged and…

        “Rick!” someone yelled.

        “What, what’s wrong?” Rick shook his head as the images faded. “What happened?”

        “You went back into that lala land trance again,” Brandon said.

        “Yeah, you looked you told us you never had a dream like the one you had in the middle of class and it looked like you were going to say something more, but you suddenly stopped and started staring out into space,” Jack added.

        “I- I did? Sorry, it’s just that, well, I reminded myself something that happened in the dream and, well, it just felt so real. It was more like living through a memory instead of remembering a dream.”

        “That crazy dream seemed real to you?” Bradon asked still leaning on his car with the door open.

        “I know it sounds insane, but it was so real!” Rick bowed his head and rubbed his eyes with one hand. “I don’t even remember falling asleep in class and.”

        “And what?” Jack interrupted Rick’s long pause.

        “Well come to think of it, the last time I remember falling asleep was in this supposed dream. For all I know that supposed dream could have been real and what’s happening now is a dream.”

        “Wait, just wait a moment,” Brandon said. He held up his hands and looked like he was on the verge of laughter. “You believe that dream is more real than this?”

        “And falling asleep in class and dreaming two days in the span of an hour is more logical when I don’t even remember falling asleep in class at all? It seems more likely that I did make it home and fell asleep and all of this is a dream and I’m still at home sleeping waiting for morning.”

        Jack placed his hand on Rick’s shoulder. “Are you going to be alright, Rick? Do you need me to give you a ride?”

        Rick shook his head. “No, I’m fine. I can drive. I-I just need to go home and relax.”

        “Thank God it’s the weekend,” Brandon stated before sitting down in is car and closing the door. He started his car, rolled down the window due to his broken AC. “Later.”

        Jack and Rick waved their farewells as Brandon zoomed out of the parking lot. Jack shook his head. “I don’t know why he’s in such a hurry. He’ll still have to wait just to get out of this place. The cars are still lined up at the stop sign,” he pointed out.

        “Yeah, no matter how fast he takes off or how much sooner he leaves before us, we catch up with him at one of the stoplights,” Rick replied.

        “Usually it’s the first second stop light.”

        “There must be something wrong with that thing. It’s red all the time! Someone needs to take a look at that thing.”

        Jack laughed and nodded in agreement. “That’s for sure.” He walked over to his car, but as he opened his door, he turned to Rick and he asked with the same amount of concern as before, “Are you sure you’re gonna be alright?”

        “For the last time, yes, I’ll be fine, sheesh. I just need some time to think about something else, is all.”

        “Just making sure, buddy.” Jack sat in his car and shut the door.

        Before Rick could get in his Santa Fe, Jack left the parking lot. He put his keys in the ignition and sighed. Now he had the daunting task of getting his head straight. “Damn, how do I stop thinking about her when my mind won’t allow me to think about anything else, not even the smallest of distractions?” he muttered before turning the keys. Maybe I just need to get home and relax. It’s a Friday, after all. I have the whole weekend to think of things to distract me. I just need some videogames and
television. That’ll cure me.

        As soon as the car started, something unexpected bellowed out of his stereo. “Pa-poker face pa-pa-poker face!” escaped from the radio.

         “What the fuck!? Why is this crap coming from my radio?” Rick looked down at the radio. He needed to deal with this before he could put the SUV in drive. He was not going to listen to that shit all the way home. Damn, did my sister mess with my station.

         Rick’s confusion only increased when he saw the screen displaying the four numbers they always showed, but those numbers were supposed to represent his Alternative station, Q101. What the hell are they thinking playing THAT on their channel? Where’s the good music?

        Luckily, the song ended soon and relieved Rick of the annoying sounds clawing their way into his ears. The DJ announced the name of the radio station as well as introduced the next song which was just as bad, if not worse, than the last
thing that claimed to be a song. 101.1 was no longer the same radio station. Instead, just another pop station took that channel over. As if there aren’t enough of them already. This sucks! Rick slapped the top of the steering wheel and groaned. He knew of no other radio station that played his music. Why can’t they just leave us with one good station? Pop music is just a fucking plague infecting the radio waves. Damn!

        He sighed, shook his head, and slumped his shoulders in defeat.  Rick could’ve scoured through every single channel in hope to find one new rock or alternative station, but how long would that tedious task take? There was no guarantee he’d find one. Instead, he opted to push the CD button and put his Santa Fe into gear. He always had a cd inside the player in case of the times when all he got was static. Thank God for CDs! He didn’t remember what cd was in the player, but he didn’t care. Anything would be better than the crap on the radio.

        The anger within him caused by the loss of his radio station disappeared when the cd started mid-song. His face grew pale when he heard the first words that escaped the speakers.

Was it a dream?

Was it a dream?

Is this the only evidence that prove it

A photograph of you and I?

        His anger no longer distracted him from the dream he had. This gave his mind the opportunity to dwell upon his thoughts on the dream that felt so real as well as revive his memories of Aria. For the entire trip back home, Rick could not stop thinking about this. He could not stop thinking about Aria.

        Rick pulled into his familiar driveway and into the garage. Despite the wild thoughts swarming through his head, his body seemed to run on autopilot. It continued the same old routine he was used to before he fell into some random portal to a fantastical realm with giants and mythical creatures and—sorry, scratch that—before he dreamt about all that stuff in class. Hell, he didn’t
even remember walking to the mailbox and grabbing the mail, but there he was, standing in front of the mailbox with the mail in his hand. Rick closed the mailbox and looked at his home. He stared at it for quite some time while contemplating his dream. To think that he truly believed he would never see the house that stood before him again. When he sat on Aria’s table grieving over never seeing his family, friends, or home ever again, he accepted being trapped in the giant world. At least he had been with a perfectly beautiful, gentle giantess.

        Rick’s eyes fixated on the old home which used to be his grandparents’ house, but he didn’t know how he should feel. Shouldn’t I be happy that I’m back home? I mean, this means that I’m no longer in another world in which there is absolutely no way of returning home. It was the perfect world for me, my dream
world. Sure it was definitely a dangerous place to live, but it was a realm of fantasy and I meet the giantess of my dreams. But to never see loved ones every again. No, it was just a dream. A dream and nothing else. I just need to forget about it and go about my normal life.

        Rick walked halfway across the driveway still clutching the mail, but he stopped when the ground beneath him trembled ever so slightly. Now, these trembles didn’t come close in comparison to the tremors the two-hundred foot tall giantess he met in his dreams, Aria, created with each footstep, but they were still strong enough to not go unnoticed. He listened for music, because sometimes concerts from Parry Farm, the rock band across the street, or loud stereo systems with the bass turned up all the way erupting from cars are all logical reasons for the sensation under his shoe. There was only one problem with the theory: Rick heard nothing in the air. No one was playing music.

        So, it’s not music, but it can’t be an earthquake either. Who ever heard of an earthquake in Illinois? Rick couched down and placed his hand on the concrete driveway. Besides, it doesn’t feel constant like an earthquake. Each vibration was segmented by a brief pause. After every single vibration, the next vibration grew stronger. It’s almost as if. No, no, it can’t be. It just can’t-

         A deep and terrifying bark interrupted Rick’s thoughts. But the bark made no sense. It sounded like it came from a huge dog, but there were no large dogs on his dead end street. The only ones he knew of were three Shih Tzu’s that lived in one of his neighbor’s house and a Chihuahua that lived in his other neighbor’s house. A bad feeling rooted itself in the pit of Rick’s stomach and he didn’t want to look up and see the owner of the bark.

        Despite the fear, Rick turned in the direction of the bark only to behold an outlandish sight. The front yard stretched out a great distance like one of the vast emptiness of the plains and fields he was used to seeing outside of his Illinois town. In fact, with just a quick glance, Rick could see that every house’s yard, back and front yards, were vast fields. He could barely see some of the houses in the distance. But all the houses were the same size, and so were all the plants. The only difference was the space used for the yards. Well, there was one more thing. The fences suddenly grew to enormous size. His neighbor’s back yard fence looked like it could hold back King Kong. What the hell were they keeping in or out? Dinosaurs?

         But these odd and sudden growths in the expanse of the yards and the height in the fences only kept Rick’s attention for a brief moment, because there was something else that quickly grabbed it. This of course was the owner of the deep bark that
rattled his bones. In one of his neighbor’s front yards, Rick saw a Chihuahua, but it wasn’t the Chihuahua he remembered. Instead, a monstrous version of the Chihuahua replaced the neighbor’s petite dog. The new dog’s size easily dwarfed an elephant! He judged that the Chihuahua would actually double the size of an
elephant! To make things worse, this massive beast wasn’t only the owner of the terrible bark, but it was also the cause of the trembling beneath Rick as it charged at him with tremendous speed.

        “No fucking way,” Rick muttered, frozen in fright. Another bark erupted from the beast, but it no longer sounded like a bark. It was more like a roar. He couldn’t decide whether it was fear causing his whole body to shake of if the sound waves from the creature’s roar rattled his very core. All he knew was that the giant was drawing closer and getting bigger with each step and every moment he stood still wasted the time he could use to escape, but fear still gripped him and held him in place. The Chihuahua barked in rapid sessions and Rick starred with widened eyes at the large teeth of the canine which left him wondering what the hell the gigantic dog would do to him once it reached him. He never knew the dog to bite people or attack, but that was when it was no bigger than his knee. There was no telling what the animal could do now that it was bigger than a house!

         Rick did not want to find out. From his kneeling position, he pushed off the driveway and sprinted to the open garage. The shaking ground grew stronger and the roars of the beast grew louder. Rick as fast as he could and pushed himself harder than he ever had before. His life depended on it. He forced himself not
look behind to see how close the giant dog was, because he feared if he did, he’d be frozen in fear again and the monster would surely catch up with him. Instead, Rick pushed through the garage and ran for the door that would lead him into his home. He didn’t bother grabbing his back pack which was still in the car already in the garage, and when he collided with the recycling bin and dropped the mail in his hands, he didn’t bother to pick it back up. All that mattered was reaching the door and grabbing that knob.

         Rick grasped the door knob and glanced back at the garage’s entrance. A giant muzzle blocked his view from the outside and luckily that was all that could fit through the entrance. The muzzle jostled back and forth, trying to fit more of itself in the tiny space, but it was no use. The Chihuahua was too big to fit
inside and it could not reach Rick. The animal huffed, sending a gust of hot dog breath at Rick making him gag. The giant beast whimpered, but Rick imaged that it wasn’t a sad whimper but more like a dog trying desperately to reach a chewy toy that’s just out of reach. No longer wanting to be in the garage with the giant muzzle, Rick turned the knob and back up as he opened the door that would lead him into the living room.

        Rick’s eyes fixated on the persistent whimpering muzzle as he backed into his home. His foot reached back, expecting even ground only to find a depression causing him to loose balance and fall backwards. His spine hit the hard tiled floor first and the back of his head smashed onto the ground closely afterwards. He
shut his eyes tightly, groaning from the pain. Staying flat on the ground, he tried to make sense of all that happened, but it was quite difficult to do so with a throbbing head and a brain still rattling in his skull. But through the pain, he was still able to tell that there were things very wrong even in his home.

        For one, he didn’t understand what he could have tripped on. There shouldn’t have been any depressions in the floor, except for the tiny crevices between each tile. There were two mats on the small tiled section of the house. The longest one covered most of that section and was for whipping one’s shoes while the other mat provided a space to put one’s shoes because no one was allowed to walk on the carpeting with shoes. If he would have tripped on the mat, things would have made sense, but what he tripped on was clearly not a mat.

        Secondly, when he fell, he should’ve hit his head on the wooden stand close by that held a lamp and various family photos. The tiled section was not a very large area. He should have hit some furniture! But strangely, that didn’t happen.

        But what worried Rick the most was that he felt no rug underneath him, only hard tile. Was his fall so violent that it pushed the mats away? Maybe it could make sense if he persistently tried to convince himself, but what he couldn’t
understand at all was the lack of feeling individual tiles. There were no crevices beneath him! It was as if he was lying on one massive tile. Rick slowly stretched both arms on either side, but no matter how far or what direction he reached he found no tiles. Fed up with the crazy occurrences and being a lot less groggy from the fall, Rick finally opened his eyes. 

        Rick saw the white ceiling that always covered his home. However, it now hung
twenty-five stories above him. The door that led to the garage which was now somehow closed was just as enormous. It spread out higher than any building he had ever seen in his small town, maybe even bigger than some of the buildings in Chicago. The front door to his left was just as massive. While still sitting on the single tile, Rick twisted around a bit and looked behind. There he saw both mats, the furthest one with a pair of gigantic sneakers. Beyond that, he could see some of the living room. It was hard to believe. From his new perspective, the room looked so alien. It was so colossal that he had to move his head back and forth to take the whole thing in. Just the white wall at the
other end of the room was over three hundred yards. Rick estimated that he was about two inches tall and though he had seen his home this gigantic before from shrinking dreams, seeing the real thing was a lot scarier.

        He turned around and stood up, but it only made a minuscule difference in making himself seem taller. The furniture around him was just too big to come close to their
size. Rick placed both hands on his face and sighed. He rubbed his hands down his face till the cupped over his mouth and nose and his pointer fingers connected with the corners of his eyes by the ridge of his nose. Closing his eyes and hoping all of this was just a twisted nightmare, he tried to clear his racing mind.

        He opened his eyes, but everything was still exactly the same as they were before. He lifted his hands away from his face and scanned the area. Luckily, there was no sign of anything living, but then again, was that a good or bad thing? Well, no bugs or other animals is a good thing, because they’d probably eat me. No, they would eat me. Rick knew he wouldn’t have a chance against an insect in at this size. Without a weapon, he had nothing while insects were designed to eat and fight each other with their exoskeletons as armor and their pinchers and teeth as their daggers.  But what he didn’t know was whether seeing no human in the room was a good or a bad thing.

        His eyes focused back on the sneakers and he realized whose they were. They shouldn’t have been there at all. They should have been attached to their owner who should have still been in school, because he should have been the first one home. What is Candice doing here? Rick could only stare in awe at what used to be a size seven in woman’s footwear, but now it appeared as though it could stretch across the width of a two lane road  its length.

        He wasn’t sure if he wanted to see his sister as a giant, let alone try to get her attention. But what was he going to do? At about two inches tall, he needed all the help he could get. There was no way he would be able to survive on his own. I need to find her and get her attention. But how the hell am I going to do that. Surely, it would be an easy task. He was merely a few inches tall; she wasn’t just going to see him on the ground. Rick read many giant/giantess stories and he couldn’t count how many times shrunken people in those stories died a miserable, unnoticed death from an unaware giant. He didn’t want to be squished by the giant foot of his younger sister, a person he took care of and protected when he parents were away. But to be flattened by that very person just sounded so wrong, and how would she feel if she ever found out, if she found out that is.

        Despite the danger, Rick knew he had no other options. He had to get Candice’s help. He just hoped that she wouldn’t think he was a bug. If she did, he knew exactly
what would happen. She’d shriek first, because she’d be so much larger than him he imagined the high-pitched scream stunning him. Then before he could recover, she’d run to the Kleenex box, grab a tissue, and then encompassing his body and squeezing the life at him. She would roll the tissue and his body up in a ball, breaking all his bones and destroying all his internal organs, and discarding it in the toilet before flushing it. His body would never be found.

        God, I hope she gets a good look at me before she squishes me.

        Rick looked towards the hallway and noticed the light coming from the kitchen entryway. She had to be in the kitchen. Rick hurried toward the edge of the tiled section and stepped up onto the grey carpeting. Glad it’s short carpet.

        And so, Rick began his long walk out of the living room. What would normally have taken him six steps to get into the hallway as well in front of the kitchen entrance, now looked like it was about one-hundred and seventy-five yards away (about 140 yards alone just to reach the hallway.) Suddenly, he began wondering what his encounter with his now giant little sister, or technically his normal sized sister while he was only two inches tall, would be like. That is, he wondered what a gentle encounter would be like since he no longer wanted to think about being squished by a bug. He already knew the encounter was going to be a little nerve-raking. Clearly no one could ever be completely relaxed, undisturbed, and without fear when meeting a one-hundred and seventy-five foot tall giantess for the first time, even if they were related. However, Rick believed it wouldn’t take too long for him to begin trusting Candice. The main reasons being: he had already encountered a much larger giantess, Aria, before (even if it was only a dream, though it felt very real) and as long as his sister didn’t think he was a bug, he knew she would be gentle to him. Yes, they were siblings, and yes, they’ve had their differences, but Candice was his sister. She would never truly harm him in a sinister way. She would be a good giantess, like Aria. Funny, Rick protected and looked after
her since she was born. Now it seems the roles would be reversed. A big brother being too small to protect himself and having to have his little sister care for him. Sounds like a touching giantess story.     

        Rick walked across the carpet at a normal pace. There was no use in running. It would just tire him out and what if he had to run out of the path of a falling foot. He would need all the energy to sprint out of the way. Besides, if Candice started walking away from him, no matter how much Rick ran, he would not be able to catch up to her giant strides. No, walking for no was a much better option. That was until he almost reached the hallway.

        For some reason, he felt like turning around and taking another look at the living room. He wished he hadn’t. In the distance, the largest centipede Rick had ever seen crawled out from the darkness under the living room sofa. Rick froze in place, as if the centipede were a T-Rex from Jurassic Park and it wouldn’t see him if he stood still. The long insect crawled around a bit before it stopped itself. Its antennae twitched around before it turned to face Rick. Rick gulped, but stayed absolutely still. The centipede darted across the carpet in his direction.

        Rick wasted no time. He turned back to the kitchen entrance which shone light through it onto the grey carpet in front of him and he ran as fast as his small legs would carry him, but when he was being chased by a huge insect with way too many legs, he knew this creature was going to catch up to him and no time flat. If it did, he’d have no way to defend himself. He could only hope that he would run into Candice, hope she doesn’t step on you without noticing, see the centipede and kill it, and then see Rick for who he really is and not a bug, because if she saw the centipede, she’d have to get close to it in order to squish it in a tissue giving her the chance to get a closer look at Rick in the process. Damn, Rick had a lot to hope for, and if any of that went wrong, he was dead.

        Desperation poured from his skin as he rushed for the lite up carpet. With his feet mere inches away from the light, Rick chanced a quick peek over his shoulder. The centipede made it to the hallway and was gaining far too much ground for him to keep this up. The toe of his right shoe kicked the ground as he surged it forward and it got caught on something. He saw the world around him tipped as his body fell to the floor. The collision with the ground forced the breath out of him and he paused, paused for far too long. He knew that the insect would be upon him quickly and that he didn’t have the time to get up. He buried his head in the carpeting and threw his hands over the back of his head, waiting for the monster to attack.

        Nothing happened.

        Rick waited some more.

        Nothing happened still.

        Rick placed his hand on the ground and turned his head. The centipede stood dead
still in the distance. Its antennae twitched fanatically. But that’s all Rick could judge from the insect’s actions. It had no face to signify its expressions. What is it waiting for?

        The world beneath him shook, the centipede darted away back to the dark depths of the couch and then Rick knew what was wrong from the giant creepy crawly. He snapped his head towards the kitchen. In the distance, two enormous bare feet converging on his location. They were all the way at the other end of the kitchen but those long strides could not be matched. It would only take seconds for them to arrive and stomp on him, even with the table and chairs in the way of them. Despite that feet and ankles encompassing most of his field of vision from so far away, they were still becoming larger with every foot fall.

        Rick didn’t look up to take in the rest of his sister’s massive form. If he wanted to live, he didn’t have the time, and he did want to stall alive. He positioned his hands in a push-up thrust himself on to his feet, but the tremors from his little sister’s footsteps threatened to throw Rick back down to the ground. He spread his arms out to the side and shifted his feet to keep his balance. He could not afford to fall down. The grey carpet beneath him darkened and expanded in a recognizable shape. He didn’t need to look up to know what was hovering above him. Looking up would only waste time, giving the object the time to crash down onto him and end his life. He surged forward to reach the
edge of the shadow, but he feared that he didn’t have enough time when he heard the heel of the giant foot land beside him. He dove for the edge of the shadow and curled in a ball as soon as his body hit the ground. The rest of the giant foot collapsed on the floor and the gust created from the step blasted his body, but other than the air, nothing else touched him. He uncurled himself and realized just how close he was to death. The inner arch of his sister’s foot stood less than a foot away from his body. Candice’s other foot landed almost parallel with the first foot. The gust from that foot pushed Rick back while he tried to stand on his feet. His back slammed into the immobile foot and he slide down back to the carpet.

        He looked up from his lying position and only saw a long blue pillar that consisted of Candice’s legs covered in her skinny blue jeans. Each towering limb looked like tall buildings that stretched forever in the sky till they connected with her hips. Rick couldn’t see any other part of Candice from his position. But he could hear her voice which boomed above him. It didn’t even sound like the younger sister he knew, more like a massive monster with only a faint hint of the familiar feminine voice he remembered.

        “No, he’s still not home,” Rick’s frantic sister cried from far above. “He should have
been here by now. His class always ends before my school. I don’t know where he is.”

        She’s worried about me. Is she on the phone with Mom?

        The foot next to Rick lifted away while the other shifted and twisted. He watched as she began to walk away and head into the family room. Rick quickly stood up and jogged
after the retreating feet, but his jog was no match to keep up with those strides.

        What the hell am I doing chasing after a giant? I was almost squished by her. Normal people don’t go chasing after something so big. But Rick knew he had no choice. He needed to somehow get her attention and he needed to be in her presence to stay safe from any other insects that should be in the house.

        the time he made it to the family room, Candice’s giant body laid upon the ground. It was odd that she wasn’t lying on the couch and on the ground instead, but this was no to his advantage. With her being closer to the ground, he had a better chance of getting her attention and a better chance that she would recognize him as a shrunken person instead of a strange looking bug. Rick stood in the entrance for a moment and scanned the familiar lying giantess and finally being far enough to take in her entire mass. He had never seen his sister so gigantic and at first didn’t believe this could be the same person.
But then again, it was he who changed, not her. He randomly shrunk to a mere two inches. His little sister suddenly became intimidating to Rick and he questioned whether he should go through with this. But that all changed when he watched Candice cry. With the phone still pressed to her ear she said between sobs, “What is something happened to him, Mom. You need to come home. I’m scared.”

        Rick stood stunned at the giant’s sobs. It reminded him of Aria. How could something so large be so sad and look so pathetic. It tore at his heart seeing his sister cry, seeing her so big yet so helpless. He couldn’t just stand around and watch it any longer. He had to help. Rick ran towards her and screamed with his arms waving, “Candice! Candice! I’m right here! I’m over here!” But her sobs must have been too loud for his tiny voice to overcome, because she did not take notice at all.

        The ground shook again, but this time it was worse. The tremor was stronger than
anything he had ever experienced. He fell to the floor and saw that it wasn’t coming from Candice because she too was on the floor with her fingers trying to clutch the short carpet. The furniture shook and the curio cabinet full of his mom’s Precious Moments tipped and shattered as it hit the ground. “Candice!” He screamed at the top of his lungs.

        Surprisingly, Candice looked in his direction and stared directly at him. Her sobbing stopped and her puffy red eyes opened wide after a long moment of staring “Rick?” she
whispered.

        Light poured in and Rick looked up to find the source. The roof of the house peeled
away. Two enormous fingers descended from the opening, but word enormous did
not give these digits justice. They were like the fingers of God. The size comparison between this giant and Candice was about the same difference between Rick and Candice. Therefore, the giant’s size compared to Rick was just so unfathomable. Candice looked up at the descending fingers and screaked as she covered her face with her arms. The fingers pinched her body between them, and those fingers encompassed the giantess’s entire torso.

        “Candice!” Rick screamed as he watched his sister being lifted away from him.

        Rick jolted awake into a sitting position which shook the green armchair he was on violently. In turn, the chair tipped forward, threatening to crush him. Rick pushed back and the chair rocked back and with a soft thud hit the wall behind it. He sighed and leaned the chair back. He stayed still and waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness
around him. Once they were adjusted enough, Rick looked around to find that he was in a very normal sized family room. He looked to his left and saw the couch with a normal sized Candice sleeping on it. He looked back up at the ceiling and sighed.

        It was all just a dream? I’m still home. That giant world, Aria, and then that crazy dream afterwards was all a dream.

        The fan whirled above him and his tired eyes stared at it with a hypnotized gaze. His eyelids became heavy and they started to close up.

        Wait, is the fan getting faster?

        It was a preposterous thought, but it did seem to be getting faster. He felt his hair moving from the breeze, but it wasn’t getting blown back. It was reaching out to the fan as if the fan was creating a sucking wind, not a blowing on. The fan blurred and became hazy as if it was phasing into something else. Suddenly, the fan was gone and in its place was what appeared to be a whirling cyclone that was getting stronger with each passing second. The blanket that was covering Rick whipped off him and shot up into the spiraling hole.

        Rick hopped off the reclined chair and hurried over to his sleeping sister. “Candice, wake up!” he ordered as he shook her shoulder. Normally, Candice was a very heavy sleeper, but this time she woke up.

        “Wh-what’s wrong?” Candice asked groggily.

        “We have to get out of here.”

        “Why?”

        Rick pointed to the portal.

        “What is-”

        The portal’s power became too strong and both Rick and Candice felt as though gravity failed them as they began to hover upwards. Rick grabbed the only thing he could: the handle of the sliding door, because there was nothing on the couch arm to hold.

        “RICK!”

        Rick snapped his head in the direction of the scream and discovered Candice flying
towards the portal. One of his hands let go of the handle and clutched one of Candice’s reaching hands tightly. She wrapped her other hand around his wrist. “Hold on, Candice!”

        “Don’t let me!” she cried out.

        “I won’t.” He just couldn’t let that happen.

        The pull of the portal grew stronger and it lifted other things off the ground. Rick’s grip on the handle was loosening. He groaned as his muscles strained.

        “Don’t you let me go,” she pleaded.

        “I won’t. I would never.”

        “You promise me?”

        “I promise. I prom-”

        The couch left the ground and hit Candice. The force that pushed her back propelled her out of his hand. She disappeared in the portal.

        “CANDICE!”

        Rick jolted awake and sat up on the bed that Aria had provided him. Breathing heavily with sweat drenching his face he frantically looked around the darkness that expanded to the far ends of the most massive room he had ever been in, making it impossible to see even the walls of the one-roomed cabin. Panic overwhelmed his brain and for a long time, he forgot where he was. After some time, he remembered Aria. He was still in the giant world with a gentle giantess, and the recent crazy occurrences were all a dream. He never left the world of the giants. He was still trapped there.

        Rick plopped back down on his pillow and placed his hand on his forehead, sighing in the process. Unless this is all just a dream too. He rubbed both of his hands through his hair. Shifting onto his side, he stared into the blackness as he waited for sleep to overtake him.

        After gazing long enough, Rick began to see the outline of a giant’s bed and the giantess in it. She too lay on her side facing him. The covers up to her shoulders formed her perfect body underneath and her hands were positioned beneath her pillow and head. He could hear her deep breathing and could just barely feel the strong gusts that weakened to a soft almost unnoticeable breeze when it finally reached him.

        She looks peaceful when she’s asleep. Rick closed his eyes. And beautiful too.

        He tried to sleep, but even with his eyes closed and his mind tired, there was something bugging him. A question nagged him, as he thought about the dreams he had, especially the one with the portal. I was brought to this world by a portal. It had to have sucked me up while I was sleeping last night in the family room, like it did in my dream. But, my sister was there. How was it that I was sucked up into a portal but not her? Unless-

        Rick opened his eyes and whispered, “What if Candice did get pulled up through the portal like me?" But, wouldn’t that mean she would have been with me when I woke up in the forest? Unless, she ended up somewhere else or maybe even another world. I don’t know the rules of these portals.

        Panic stuck him. Whether or not if his sister ended up in this world or another, she
was in danger. There was no telling what creatures and monsters lived in other worlds and Candice was as good as dead if she ended up in Felarya. Oh God, if Candice ended up in Felarya she wouldn’t stand a chance. Any of those monsters would have gobbled her up now. They had no logical moral code. They ate anything that was smaller than them period. There were far too few Felaryan creatures that thought differently and might have spared her. Please let her be safe.

        Rick wanted to wake Aria up. She didn’t seem to have an extensive knowledge of portals, but she knew far more information about them than he did. And if there was a chance that Candice fell into this giant world with him, he had to find her. He had to save her. Rick sat up and was about to get out of his bed and wake Aria up, but when opened his mouth to yell, he stopped himself. He watched Aria sleeping and couldn’t bring himself to wake her. She was gentle, kind, and would surely understand his fears, but waking up such a peaceful sleeping giantess and making her angry didn’t sound like the best option. Besides, it was dark out and who knows what kind of creatures lurking out there could harm even Aria, this was the giant half of the world after all. He didn’t want to admit it, but there was nothing he could do. It was all out of his hands.

        He lay back down and closed his eyes. It’s alright, there is no telling whether or not she’s here or another world. She could still be at home safe and sound with Mom. But he didn’t believe the lie he tried to tell himself and sleep was hard to obtain.

        Candice made it halfway to the giant ten year old sobbing chilotaur before she stopped in her tracks. She thought about what she was doing and as she looked at the
enormous centipede body, she thought about going back where she would positively be safe with her new friend, her nearly two hundred foot tall protector. She twisted around to look back at Tim, still having troubles taking in his entire mass even from such a distance away. When she finally reached his eyes, she saw him staring back at her with concerned eyes, eyes that only grew more worried upon seeing Candice’s hesitation. She knew that Tim had her back and would do anything he could to protect her. Knowing she had so much power behind her helped built some of her confidence and courage back up. Still looking back at Tim, Candice mouthed the words, “I’ll be fine.” But she knew that she was too small and too far away from Tim for him to see what she tried to tell him. He still stayed tense as he watched her and the creature carefully. Candice turned back to look at the creature, but this time, she gazed up at the human-half and saw a sad and distressed child, not some monster to be feared. Seeing the creature as a child, despite its size, returned the rest of her courage, because no child should be as sad as this one looked. This gave Candice the overwhelming desire to help, causing her to finally take another step towards the new giant.

        She took another step, and then another and another. She propelled her feet towards the crying child and the jagged rocks that littered the dark, cold cave floor poked and irritated the bottom of her bare feet. If only she sat on Tim’s warm, soft palm as opposed to walking on this unbearable, uncomfortable, hard and torturous floor that pricked her feet. She couldn’t believe what she was thinking. She preferred being in the hand of such a colossal being and allow it to have total control over her body, a being whose fingers dwarfed her own height? But after reviewing the two options, sitting in a giant’s hand was better than having bare feet supporting her weight on a rocky ground. Her friend’s giant hand comforted her with its warmth situated just beneath the skin and it kept her safe with those large fingers bent upwards slightly, well slightly to Tim, but for her, those fingers blocked her view of the enormous world that surrounded her, those fingers created a railing for her and prevented her from ever falling off, whereas the cave floor only provided her with cold and pricked feet and exposed her to the world of giants.

         The closer Candice got to Kage, the slower she walked. She told herself that it was because of the cave floor and that she had to walk slower to avoid damaging her feet any more than they might have been already. Once she placed a foot in what appeared to be a good spot, she gradually shifted her weight little by little to her foot, making sure not to put all of her weight on a bad spot that would pierce the naked pads of her foot. Only once enough weight was placed on one of her steps that would reveal the spot to indeed to be a good spot would she support all her weight on said spot and commence taking her next step. But she only told herself being cautious about where she stepped was the reason she walked slower. It was not the truth. Some doubt still lingered in the back of her mind, festering and ready to infect her confidence.

        Kage’s human half was twisted away from her approach while his eyes leaked tears into his cupped hands. But what if the creature wasn’t really crying?

        Candice took a step forward.

        What if those tears were fake and were only leading her to her doom?

        She took another step.

        He wasn’t fast enough to snatch her up before she and Tim woke up.

        She took a step.

        Now, it needed to figure out another way to devour her and get away from Tim.

        Her steps became more hesitant.

        So, he pretends to cry in order to tug on Candice’s compassionate heartstrings to
lure her into a trap without Tim coming with her.

        She set a foot down.

        Then it could grab her quickly and dash out of the cave before Tim could save her.

        She shifted her weight on her foot carefully.

        Then she’d be dead. No, that wouldn’t happen. Candice shook her head. Those tears weren’t fake. There was no devious scheme to eat her. The creature was hurt by
something and comforting it would only gain her a new friend in this dangerous world.

        She supported all her weight on the foot she had set down.

        This was a kid, not some monster despite his size. Besides, she had a good sense of character and if her gut feeling told her he was alright, than he was alright.

        Candice kicked her other foot forward and stepped closer to the crying chilotaur.

        She stopped where she thought was a good enough distance from the chilotaur. She stood at the right distance where she would be looking up at the giant young face without breaking her neck from craning her head back, and she believed that she was far enough away from the creature that she was just outside his reach, but that was hard to determine.

        “Um. Excuse me, Kage?” Candice asked in a voice slightly higher than her normal pitch.

        The sobs paused and the giant being turned his head down in Candice’s direction. The hands over his eyes dragged against his face slowly towards his chin until they uncovered the glistening red irises and the puffy skin around them. Those eyes looked like a puddle of blood floating in the center of a pool of oil on the verge of seeping out. While she was too entranced to speak up again, Kage skittered back till his shoulder blades pressed against the wall. He turned his head away and his arms rose up and blockaded his face. The crying started up again, but now his body shivered with each escaping muffled tear.

        Candice just stood in shock for a moment.  She had seen some crazy and ridiculous things, especially ever since she ended up in another world with giants, but her mind had a hell of a time fathoming this one. A giant half-centipede creature backed away from her! Her, a girl barely five feet tall vs. some thing that could be somewhere near the one-hundred and fifty foot mark. (Well, at least his upper body was that of a 150 foot tall boy, but his actually height varied depending how much of his centipede body was on the ground and how much was vertically supporting his human body.) She knew the creature was only a few years younger than her, but for something of his size to be frightened of her? It just defied logic. She looked down at her hands. What makes me so scary? What could I possibly do to him?

        She looked back up at the cowering giant and stepped forward until she stood within arm’s length of the centipede body the impeded her from getting any closer. Her eyes traveled down from their previous position and back to the large, brown centipede body directly in front of her. She took in the elongated insect body and all of its skinny pale legs that were longer than her entire body with fear and disgust. Of all the things this poor kid could have been half of, why did it have to be a centipede? Why couldn’t he have been half-puppy, part hamster, or even half-butterfly? Of all the animals in the world, why a centipede?

        Candice closed her eyes and shook the fear and disgust out of her and replaced them with the concern for the scared boy that body belonged to. She opened her eyes and reached her fingers out to the insect mass. But she hesitated. Would he even feel? I know he’s big, but Tim’s bigger and I think he can just barely me, but can bugs feel? She knew nothing of the internal workings of an insect. She didn’t know what kind of
nervous system they have. She knew that they had an exoskeleton, but did they have sensory nerves?

        Candice shook her head. I’m stalling again.

        She placed her had on the centipede body. The hard, smooth surface quivered under her touch. “You don’t have to be afraid of me,” she said. “I will not hurt you, even if I could. I don’t think there’s anything I could ever do to you to physically harm someone as big as you.”

        “I know.” He still stayed behind his arms.

        “Then why are you still hiding from me? Why are you backing away and shaking?”

        “It’s not you I’m afraid of.” He uncovered his face just enough to reveal his eyes
motioning towards Tim. Kage covered his face back up again.

        “You don’t have to worry about Tim either.  He’s just very… protective of his friends. He was just afraid that you would hurt me, but once he realizes you were only trying to help, I’m sure he’ll trust you.”

         “He’s protecting you as a friend? Are you sure it’s not for another reason?”

        Candice was shocked by the question, even though she had thought about all the possible reasons a giant as big as Tim would treat her the way he did: as an equal and
as a friend, despite the fact he was big enough to do absolutely anything with her and she’d be absolutely powerless against him. After all she was no bigger than a small rodent compared to him. Actually, a small rodent to him might be about the size of a bear to her, maybe bigger. But she had already came to believe Tim was just a good person and lonely as well, allowing him to even want to befriend humans. Do all giants
have to be suspicious of each other’s motives and actions?

        “Yes, he’s my friend and I trust him. He’s already proven to me that he has no evil
intentions. I believe him. And I believe you too.”

        Kage lowered his arms, this time revealing his whole youthful face. “You believe me? You don’t think I’m a monster?”

        “Why would you think I’d think you are a monster?”

        “Isn’t that what normal humans think of something like me? I’m big and … and my
centipede half.”

        “Well, if you talked with anyone that knows me, they’d tell you that I’m not normal at all.”

        Kage smiled. It was a small one, but the first one.

        “And if I can get used to one giant, getting used to a second one will be a piece of
cake.” The half-centipede thing may be a bigger obstacle, but he really seems like a sweet kid.

        “Then, I’m glad you’re not a normal human.”

        Candice raised her eyebrow, light-heartedly.

        “No, it’s not that I think you’re strange; it’s just that you said that you’re not normal and it’s just that all the humans I’ve tried to talk to just run away and, well, I, it’s just that-”

        “Kage, relax. I know what you meant. It’s okay.”

        Kage let out a long breath. “I’ve never talked with a human before. I’ve said things to humans, but never has one talked to me and not run away. I don’t want to ruin anything or offend you or-”

        “It’s alright, Kage. Try not to be nervous and just be yourself. You can talk to me
just like you’d talk to anyone else.”

        “But, I’ve never really talked to anyone before.”

        “That’s alright, you’re doing fine. I’m not going to run.”

        “Are you sure?”

        “I’m still here aren’t I?”

        “Well, yes, but, it’s just that, well, I still have the feeling that you will because
everyone does and I’m used to it.”

        Those last four words struck Candice with the most pity. I’m used to it. He said that he was used to it, used to people thinking he was some giant monstrosity and then fleeing from him. How could a ten year old kid be used to something so sad, so dishearteningly disappointing? How many people had to have run from him to be numb to the whole event? Well, numb was probably not the right word. Clearly it still saddened him to see people run from him, because what kind and gentle person wouldn’t be emotionally affected by everyone they meet believing they’re a monster? He was just used to seeing it happen to what had to be every human he had ever met. He did say that he had never talked to a human before, but Candice feared that it was more than that. It was possible that he had talked to anyone in his entire life. Did that mean he didn’t even have parents he’s talked to? Candice couldn’t imagine being alone her entire life, having to do everything herself, not having anyone to talk to or find
comfort from, never to have friends. There was no denying that she felt sorry for Kage. He faced a fate that absolutely no child deserved.

        He’s used to people running from him. How many people had he have to encounter to be used to something so depressing? She tried to imagine herself in that situation, and she believed she could never get used to every person she came across seeing her as some terrifying beast and running from her. Kage was like Tim, extremely lonely and willing to be friends with human, despite the ridiculousness of a friendship between a person and someone approximately thirty-five times smaller than said person. But it was different. At least Tim lived among his kind before he decided to leave them due to how they treated humans, but Kage had no one. She knew that
she could never fully understand what Kage when through, but that didn’t stop her from sympathizing.

        “I told you already, I’m not going to run away,” she said.

        Kage didn’t reply. He just looked away, his eyes still sad and not trusting that
Candice will stay where she was.

        She again wondered how many humans those eyes saw run away from him. She hated those humans from running away from such a young, sweet kid, but could she
really blame them? It was only natural for humans to be scared of such gigantic and powerful creatures, especially if it was half-centipede. How could they have known Kage wasn’t really a monster? The giant sight of Tim and Kage frightened Candice the first time she saw them. She believed they were monsters till she really got to meet them.

        But how could prove to Kage that she trusted him and that she wasn’t going to run away from him? But as she tried to think of something, the rocky nuisance under
feet continued to annoy her. But no matter where she shifted her weight to, or where she set her feet, the pointy floor pricked her soles. She wished that she wasn’t on the rocky floor and instead stood on the warm, soft skin of Tim’s palm. Instead of distracting her from the goal of getting Kage to trust that she wasn’t running, the wish to be off the floor helped. She connected the two thoughts into an idea. She could allow Kage to pick her up. She would be off the ground and it will show Kage that she trusted him enough to place her life in his hand, but the doubts forced their way into her mind, telling her that her plan was a bad idea and that as soon as Kage grabbed her, he’d gobble her up. She shook her head and thought repeatedly, No, Kage wouldn’t eat me; he not like that. As she dispelled her doubts, one doubt still lingered: What would Tim think?

        She turned around to look back at her first giant friend. Tim was still crouched on
the ground, just as tense as ever. The knife with the blade large than Candice’s entire body still lied on the floor next to him. Would he attack immediately after she set her plan in action? Candice motioned her hands, her palms facing the floor, as if she were pushing something to the ground. She hoped Tim would understand she was trying to tell him that everything was alright and that she wanted him to stay put.  

         She turned back to Kage and asked, “Um, Kage? Could you help me with something?”

        Kage’s black and red eyes locked back onto her and lite up. “Really? You want my help? I’ll do anything.”

        “Well, this floor isn’t the best for bare feet.”

        “I don’t understand. What do you want me to do?”

        “I was wondering. Could you pick me up?”

        “You, you want me to, to pick you up?”

        “Yeah, could you?”

        “No, no, I could never pick up a person.” He shook his head and shook his hands with palms facing Candice.

        “You were gonna pick me up when you thought Tim was evil.”

        “That, that was different. I, I was only going to pick you up because I thought I had to. I just cannot just pick up anyone just because I can. I, I, I just — what about Tim?”

        “It will be alright, he won’t attack you.”

        “But.”

        “It will be fine. I’m asking you to pick me up. It’s not like you’re picking me up
without my consent.”

        “I cannot do what you’re asking me to do. What if, what if something goes wrong?
What if I pick you up and you, and you — I’m just so big.”

        “You’re afraid you’d hurt me?”

        “I would never hurt you on purpose, but I’m so much bigger and I — I just can’t
pick you up.”

        “Kage, I know you’ll be careful with me. You’re a good person. Please, you’d be doing me a favor; my feet are killing me.”

        Kage still looked hesitant, but he conceded. “I’ll get you off the floor, but I’m not going to grab you. I’ll put my hands on the floor and you can climb on. That’s the only way I’m holding you.”

        “That’s alright with me.” In truth, that way was far more preferable to Candice. For one, she was more comfortable being held that way, she felt more in control that way as opposed to being trapped by fingers that controlled whether she fell or stayed in the air and controlled how confined or loose she was in the giant fist. Besides, allowing her to step onto Kage’s hands on her own would help prove she trusted him.

        “Are you sure?” his voice still nervous.

        “Yes.”

        Kage slowly lowered both hands to the floor. Candice turned to Tim, who was now more alert. She gave him the same motion, hoping that he understood. Then, she
stepped onto Kage’s right hand, avoiding the small crack where his two hands meet. Though she sat in one hand, he kept both hands cupped together as he lifted her chest level. She felt the lifting sensation that was becoming all too familiar now: the slight dropping sensation of her stomach, the light G-force wanting to push her deeper into the giant palm, the feeling of her eyes getting ready to pop, yet never really popping, to think that she would get used to this strange sensation. Though Kage was lifting her slowly, he body still jerked upward when his hands suddenly stopped. Candice gave a little yelp.

        Kage’s giant face swooped down in front of her. “Candice, are you alright? Are you
hurt? Did I hurt you? Candice, what’s wrong?”

        “It’s alright, it’s alright. I’m fine.”

        “Are you sure?” His eyes glistened with worry.

        “Yes, I’m fine.”

        He quickly retracted his giant face that took up Candice’s entire vision. “I’m
sorry, I’m sorry. Did I scare you?”

        “No, it’s okay.”

        “Is everything really fine? I’m not holding you too high, am I? You’re not afraid of heights? Because if you are I can hold you lower if you want.”

        “Kage, please calm down. Everything it okay.”

        “I’m sorry, Candice. It’s just that, well, it’s just, I, I never really, I’ve never held a human, a person before.”

        Candice patted the palm she sat on and said, “It’s alright. Just calm down. You’re
doing fine.”

        The more time Kage took to calm down, the more the nervous worry in his eyes seemed to disappear, and a sense of wonder, the kind every kid should have, began to
replace it. Candice wasn’t sure whether that wonder was because Kage couldn’t believe he was actually holding a person in his hands or because she was the first person he came across to show this magnitude of trust, or any amount for trust for that matter, in him. Whatever the reason, she clearly was the cause of the wonder in his eyes.

        “Kage, why were you crying earlier?”

        “I — You don’t want to know about that.” He looked away again.

        Candice stroked the giant palm under her. “Kage, we’re friends and-”

        “We’re, we’re friends?” He turned to her, his eyes mixed with disbelief, joy, and hope. “You want to be friends, with me?”

        “I do, and friends help each other out. So, if there is something troubling you, you can tell me anything.”

        “Even if it sounds crazy?”

        “I’ve seen too many crazy things today that I’d believe anything.”

        “Well, I, I think I come from a different world.”

        “You’re from a different world?” He’s just like me!

        “You and Tim said that you’ve never heard of a chilotaur before. So, I think that somehow I fallen into another world where chilotaurs don’t exist. I don’t know how it happened. I fell asleep one night and the next morning I woke up in this forest, and I’ve lived in this cave ever since.”

        That’s what happened to me! Except that Candice woke up in the middle of a human village.

        “I know it sounds crazy, but that’s what happened.”

        “I don’t think you’re crazy, Kage.”

        “You, you don’t?”

        “I’m from another world too.”

        Kage shook his head violently. “No, you’re just saying that to cheer me up.”

        “No, I’m from a world called Earth.”

        “Earth?” Kage contemplated. “I’ve, I’ve heard of that.”

        “Where are you from?”

        “Felarya.”

        “Did you say F-Felarya?” There was a tremble in Candice’s voice.

        “Yes.” Candice’s eyes widened and fear began to overtake her once again. Her body trembled as if it had just been thrown in a freezer. The trembling had to have been enough for Kage to not only see with his sharp enormous eyes but also to be able to feel the small vibrations her body caused on his palm, because he asked, “Candice, is something wrong?” Worry filled his entire expression and it appeared that he wanted to bring his face closer to Candice to try and find what could be making her act so differently all the sudden, but he held himself back.

         Rick had told Candice about an imaginary fantasy realm. It was a place of beauty: lush Amazonian-like jungles and beautiful mythical beings. But that beauty was deceiving, like a poisonous flower. In that realm humans were much closer to the bottom of the food chain than any other world. The world consisted of enormous mythical beings, and despite being sentient and having similarities to humans, they ate smaller creatures without regret, smaller creatures such as humans! That realm was called Felarya. Kage was from Felarya! But it didn’t make sense. Felarya was supposed to a make believe world. “Felarya exists?”

        “Of course it exists. It’s where I came from.” Kage spoke so nonchalantly as if it was no big deal coming from such a dangerously wicked world of human eaters. But that concern came back as he asked, “Candice, what’s wrong?”

        “You’re, you’re really from Felarya?”

        “That’s what I said, but what does that have to do with anything?”

        Candice trembled uncontrollably in the giant’s hands. The creature that she thought she was finally getting used to, became a horrible monster again, just with the mention of where he was from. She automatically associated that terrible world with the creature whose hands she now helplessly sat in. She feared Kage was like all the other man-eating creatures from Felarya. She believed that all the crying and shyness was all a ploy just for her to get close enough to trust him, so that he could eat her. She no longer wanted to be in the creature’s mercy. She wanted to be back with Tim, back in his protective care.

        As for Kage, he couldn’t understand what had come over Candice. One moment she was fine, but in a split second, she changed. She had trusted him, really trusted him. She was the first human to trust him, the first person, for that matter. She was even brave enough and trusting to walk onto his actual hands. Where would he ever find another human like that? He thought everything had been going fine. She seemed like she truly wanted to be his friend and he thought he was getting the hang of talking to another person. But now she suddenly acted like all the other humans he had come across in his time in this other world. What made her so afraid of him all the sudden?

        “Candice, please tell me what is wrong.” He did want to see his first and only friend this upset. He wanted to help her. He to dispel her fear, but how could he do so when it was him she feared. It was happening again. He was watching yet another human become deathly frightened of him. He knew that she would run away like all the others. She would never want to see him again. To be so close to finally having a friend, to be so close to something different, yet to have it slip out of his grasp was devastating. It was worse than all of his other experiences with humans combined. No, I can’t have gotten this close only for me to lose her. I can’t.

        “I, I want down.” Candice was too afraid to look into Kage’s eyes. Instead, she looked down at the palm she sat on.

        “Candice, you can tell me what’s wrong. Please, tell me what’s wrong.” Candice saw the giant hand beside her that she wasn’t sitting on lift away. Her body tensed;  she wondered what he planned to do to her with that free hand.

        Kage saw that Candice only sat on one of his hands, allowing him to part his hand
and use he free hand to calm her somehow, or at least try to calm her. With his lifted free hand, Kage hesitated. How could he comfort her? How could he show her he wasn’t a monster? He closed his free hand into a fist and stuck out his pointer finger. His hand shook as he drew his finger closer to Candice. He didn’t know what made his hand shake more, his sadness at the thought of losing a friend, concern for his friend, or the fear that he might hurt her by his actions even if he didn’t mean to. Kage touched her back with his pointer finger and moved it down her back in a stroking motion. He hoped this could help calm her down.

        It had the reverse effect on Candice. As soon as she felt the large digit touch her back, she feared the worst. She screamed, twisted around, and pushed the giant finger away.

        Of course, it wasn’t Candice’s strength that caused the finger to retreat; just one of his fingers was stronger than her. It was Kage’s shock and his fear that he might have harmed Candice by simply touching her that made him quickly retract his finger. “I’m sorry, Candice. Did I hurt you? I didn’t mean to hurt you. Please, tell me what’s wrong.”

        “Just put me down.”

        “But Candice.”

        “She wants you to put her down.” Candice and Kage turned to see that Tim was standing in front of Kage. They didn’t know when Tim had approached them or how much he heard, but Candice was glad he was there. Kage on the other hand was fearful, because Tim had brought the dagger with him, even if the dagger wasn’t pointing at him or at his throat. “Or better yet, how about you hand her over to me instead.” Tim held out his hand, palm facing up.

        “I didn’t do anything wrong, please believe me. I swear I didn’t hurt her. She just got scared when I told her I’m from Felarya.”

        Candice had twisted around to look up at Tim. Tim was taller than Kage, a full chest and head taller. She saw a slight change in Tim’s expression when Kage said Felarya. It was only Tim’s eyes that changed. Fear entered and widened his eyes for a split second. After that small moment, his eyes become more serious and tense than before, as if preparing himself for battle. She knew that he was prepared to save her at any cost. She hoped that she wouldn’t be in the middle of the two colossal boys’ battle. The fright and the adrenaline alone would probably cause her heart to explode, let alone the possibilities of being crushed, dropped, tossed, or even eaten in the middle of the giants’ brawl.

        “Is that why Candice is afraid of me, because I’m from Felarya?” Kage asked either deducing it from remembering what he said right before she became terrified of him or from Tim’s split second change in his eyes, maybe even from both sets of evidence.

        “Kage.” Tim didn’t have to add anything else. Kage knew what Tim wanted him to do.

        Kage looked back down at the human in his hand. “Candice, you do understand that I won’t ever hurt you, don’t you? Candice, please don’t be afraid of me. I’m not a monster, I swear.” He couldn’t plead anymore; his tears overwhelmed him, but through his watery vision he still saw Tim’s grip tighten around the hilt of his dagger. Kage bowed his head and stretched out his hand in Tim’s direction.

        The trembling platform Candice sat on slid through the air closer to Tim’s hand. The closer she got to his hand, the safer she felt, but it never got close enough for her to step off the chilotaur’s hand and walk onto Tim’s. Instead, Tim’s hand moved and brushed up beside Kage’s. Candice didn’t waste time; she lifted onto her hands and knees and crawled onto Tim’s hand.

        At first, Kage didn’t want to hold Candice. He was worried that he might make some terrible mistake and accidently harm her. Humans were so small and fragile, but they were people and Kage would never forgive himself if he harmed a person, even if it were an accident. But holding a human in his hand just felt so surreal. A real person sat in his hand. Not a toy or small object, but a real living, breathing, thinking person! A person small enough to fit in just one of his palms! It was mesmerizing. It was an eye-opener for Kage to realize how large he really was in this new world and how much power he really had.  It was a little scary to know he could do anything to this human in her hand and she’d be powerless to stop it (he didn’t think anyone should have such power over another sentient being), but was it really bad to have all that power if didn’t plan on hurting anyone? He had the power to help, to protect. When he held Candice, he felt like he needed to keep her safe. As he held her, he felt like he was responsible for protecting her. And to have her weight (though minuscule to him) in his hand was the greatest feeling he had ever had. It was his first physical contact with anyone. Here was a human who knew full well how large he was and the dangers of his size, yet she trusted him enough to willingly sit in his hand; it was even her suggestion! Feeling her in his hand meant he had a friend, but when he felt those tiny hands and knees crawling to the edge of his hand and leaving it completely, that feeling devastated Kage. He felt like he was alone again and that he lost that friendship. Kage didn’t look up from the ground to see Candice leave his hand; he didn’t want or have to. He felt her on his skin and then that feeling and her weight were suddenly absent.

        When Candice was safely on Tim’s left hand, Tim lifted her and brought her closer to his chest. Once there, she turned around, leaned her back against his bare chest and stared at the Felaryan creature.

        “I’m not as monster,” Kage muttered to the floor.

        “The odds are against you. You’re from Felarya; I’ve never heard any stories about a nice Felaryan.”

        “Your world knows about Felarya too?” Candice asked.

        “Sometimes Felaryan monsters find their way through portals into our world. Out of all the portals that randomly pop up in our world, portals from Felarya are the most common. The creatures that come through claim they’re not the ones that open the portals from their world. Portals are random in nature, but there are far more Felaryan portals than any other world. There are different theories on why there are more Felaryan portals than any other, but the more popular theory among my people is that all the different worlds are different planes of reality and that Felarya is a plane that intersects multiple different plans of reality in many different spots, making it more unstable and more susceptible to portals.”

        To Candice, it made about as much sense as everything else that happened so far. Though Tim’s words did raise some suspicion, just not in the way she thought it would. She was now in a world in a medieval-like time period. And if it was anything like Earth’s medieval period, normal people probably weren’t well educated. The theory Tim stated sounded like a theory a more scholarly individual would have come up with. The theory probably wasn’t common knowledge. Had Tim received an education? His more primitive outfit, with only wearing a loincloth didn’t fit the description on what a scholarly individual would look like. And if so, what did that mean?

        “There are plenty of Felaryan living in giant country, but most live on the border so they can eat humans. Some even live in human country for the same reason. I’ve seen a Felaryan naga before. They’re different from the nagas that are native to this world on account of Felaryan nagas having completely human-like upper halves. Felaryans are friendly enough to my people, but humans are nothing more than another meal to them. They believe size defines a person. If you can be swallowed whole, you’re not a person to a Felaryan. It’s just what Felaryans believe. We can’t trust a Felaryan.”

        “But I’m not like that. I don’t think that way. I know Candice is a person. I wouldn’t eat her.” Kage’s teary eyes were convincing, but could Rick and Candice really take that risk. “What about your race?”

        “What about them?”

        “They’re not too kind to humans either. Wouldn’t that make you dangerous to Candice too?”

        “I’m not like other giants.”

        “Why can’t I be different from other Felaryans? What makes you so special?”

         He did have a point, but Candice and Tim were still worried.

        Kage looked back down again and muttered, “Do, do I have to leave now?”

        Finding a voice again, Candice asked, “How long have you lived in this cave?”

        “Ever sense I ended up in this world. That was five years ago.”

        Candice looked up at Tim and asked him, “How long have you been living here?”

        “About two years now,” Tim answered.

        “Kage has lived here longer than you; it doesn’t seem right to throw him out.”

        “Candice, he could be dangerous.”

        “I know, but… it’s just that. I don’t know.” She looked down at the skin she sat on.

        Tim asked the chilotaur, “So, you’ve been living here this whole time, even when I arrived. Where were you this whole time? I always heard sounds at night, but-”

        “I usually sleep in the day. So, to avoid the bright sun, I go pretty deep in the back of the cave. You found this cave in the daylight, so I was sleeping deep in the cave. . You find this cave in the daylight, so I was sleeping deep in the cave. You wouldn’t have known I was there.”

        “You didn’t try to kick me out or anything. Why?”

        “I thought about it, but you never really explored the cave and I hunt for food when you’re asleep. I felt that it would be alright for you to stay since our paths never crossed.”

        “You didn’t even come up to try and talk with me or-”

        “I was too afraid to. I heard from humans how evil giants were. I heard stories of what they did to humans. They sounded like monsters.”

        “How did you hear it from humans?”

        “Before you came here, humans would sometimes explore the forest and use this cave as a shelter. I would never approach them, but I’d overheard their conversations. Because they were in a forest of giant creatures, they always talked about giants and the dangers they had to look out for. So, when you came back to the cave with a human, I was worried.” Kage looked back up and asked, “Can I stay? I would bother either of you again. Please, I have I don’t know where else to go.”

        Tim looked down at Candice, but she wasn’t looking up at him. “Candice.”

        She looked up.

        “What do you think?”

        Candice faced Kage who was still watching the ground. She thought about everything that had happened since she met Kage. He had done nothing to her except be gentle and sweet. He didn’t act like any Felaryan she had ever heard about from her brother. Candice looked up at Tim who waited for her answer. “I guess we can give him a second chance.”

        Kage looked up with lit eyes. “You, you will? Thank you, thank you so much I prom-” Kage’s stomach growled and the cave became silent. Kage looked down at his stomach and then looked back up at Candice and Tim. “I should start hunting now.” He scurried out of the cave.

        When he was gone, Candice said, “Tim, I think I should sleep closer to you tonight.”

        “I think that’s best.”