Prologue

City buses transport over 3.5 million people daily in the United States alone. For all of these people, a bus ride to work or to home or to the mall is just a mindless transition between one destination to another. They spend their ride listening to their mp3 players, chatting on their phones, reading their magazines or cramming for the day’s school exam.

However, on this particular day, Emmalise Stocking was quite alert on the bus ride home from campus. She attended the West Virginia University Institute of Technology, where her main focus was biology and chemistry. She was hoping to be a pharmacist one day and worked hard to achieve her goal. She had a successful day in class and wore a small smile on her face as she looked around at the bored and dead faces around her.

A typical bus full of civilians- an old man leaning against the person next to him completely asleep, a middle-aged black woman in a nice business suit chatting loudly on her cell phone, a young girl no older than 16 reading through a magazine, a man seemingly in his mid-twenties listening to his MP3 player and slowly bobbing to the tune…

Emma sighed and shook her head. She looked forward to getting home and finishing up her leftovers from the pasta dish she made the night before. Tomorrow there were no classes so she’d be free to do some sightseeing or even stay in and watch a movie or two in her pajamas.

There was a warning… but it came on so fast it hardly seemed fair to call it a warning. A loud shrill buzzing pierced the sound barrier, making everyone drop everything in their hands and cover their ears. It brought several people to their knees, screaming. Emma was one of the few that remained upright, her eyes wide in horror as the darkened sky of the evening was shrouded in blinding light. This was the moment that finally sent Emma to her knees as the shrill buzzing and the blinding light became more and more prominent, blocking out every thought of a great today or a laid back tomorrow.

Emma could tell people were still screaming, despite the fact that her eyes were closed and her ears were covered. She remained as still as she could, even as the bus bounced and tilted side to side and even as the large windows shattered as the piercing screech grew even louder.

And, as suddenly as it came, it went. All was still and all was quiet.

And Emma Stocking opened her eyes…

The people inside the bus were too in shock to move quickly enough. The people outside the bus were shocked, too, but not at the same degree. For most of them were more angry than shocked. Who would drop a bus in the middle of a busy sidewalk?! Irritated grumbles were emitted and friendly bystanders asking if everyone was okay. No one thought to ask how the civilians in the bus were doing, because no one ever imagined people were able to even fit in such a small vehicle. The bus barely came up to the onlookers’ waists and it was suspected to be a prop or statue from a nearby office building.

“Hey! Watch where you drop these things!” An angry businessman shouted up to the nearby skyscraper with a shake of his fist.

Inside the bus, Emma slowly raised her head and looked at her fellow passengers. They were shaken up but everyone looked unharmed. The business woman lifted the phone back to her ear and shouted “Lisa! Lisa, I was just in an accident! The whole b- the… Lisa?” She cursed under her breath and went to dial the number again. “What the FUCK? The call won’t go through!”

“Well heaven FORBID your damn call won’t go through!” A nearby middle-aged man yelled. “What the hell, woman?! The bus just crashed! Let’s get the hell out of here!”

“Yeah, fuck you! Who the hell do you think you are telling me what to do you…”

The young man who had been listening to his mp3 player was softly touching the shoulders of the people around him, asking if they were okay in a soft voice. Emma’s eyes were drawn to him and his act of kindness amidst the chaos. When he reached out to touch the young school girl, who had been looking through a teen magazine, she immediately let out a shriek and took hold of him. Without showing any form of malice, he wrapped his arms around her and simple held her as she trembled in shock. This struck Emma as something to behold as it was so uncommon to see such compassion between strangers.

“Oh. Oh no. Oh God, no! No! No no no! What IS that!?” Another voice was suddenly becoming louder and louder as she spoke. The business woman pointed a shaky finger towards the shattered windows. Everyone who had recovered followed the direction of her finger and gazed through the open area. There were mere splinters along the sides of the bus, remnants of the windows that had blasted during the wreck. And, through the now open frames, the world outside was no longer blinding but the same darker evening sky. The same beautiful orange to pink skyline, the trees, the buildings, the sidewalk… but something was different. Something was very different.

Loud muttering could be heard as the people outside began to gather around the bus. Due to being shaken up from the wreck, it was fair to say the passengers really didn’t notice the difference right away. But when it clicked, it clicked hard and fast.

The people standing outside of the tiny bus could finally hear small shrill noises coming from inside. One man began to approach the bus with curiosity and others followed. One woman on her cell phone, calling the police about the incident, suddenly changed her tone “Wait! I think I hear voices inside. Someone may be hurt. No, I know I said it wasn’t a normal bus but maybe it’s used in a circus show? No, I AM telling the truth! Please, it’s not just me standing here…”

Everyone inside the bus grew completely silent, too shocked to move or to speak. Standing outside of the bus were beings over 20 feet tall and fast approaching. Emma let out a small gasp before quickly placing her hand to her mouth. Where are we? What happened? What is this place? What happened to us? What’s GOING to happen to us?

Were these people nice? Was it their fault that they were there? No one knew the answer to those questions and so they remained stock still, completely unsure of what to do.

The curious man placed his hand on top of the small bus and kneeled down to peer inside the small windows. His eyes widened as he suddenly met the gaze of a dozen or more tiny pairs of eyes.

No one in the bus breathed… a similar vision passed between all of the passengers as they recalled watching Jurassic Park all those years ago… ‘It can’t see us if we don’t move’.

The sirens in the distance got closer and closer and still no one breathed. The giant outside the bus didn’t move either. He didn’t know what to think. Was this a trick? Surely these tiny creatures weren’t real.

Emma couldn’t tear her eyes away from the intense blue globes that trailed between her and everyone else in the bus. However, her ears picked up the sirens that were fast approaching. The sound of squealing tires moving closer could also be heard. Her breathing quickened as panic began to set in.

The tired screeched to a halt, the sirens went silent… and that’s when all hell broke loose.

Emmalise Stocking

Chapter 1

6 months later…

Twoot twoot. Twoot twoot.Twoot twoot. Twoottwoottwoowttwoot.

“Mmmmph. Shut UP!”

Emma groaned and rolled over on her bed, flinging the covers over her head to drown out the cheerful sounds of the birds outside.

Twoot twoot. Twoot twoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooot.

“ REALLY?!” Emma angrily threw off her covers and sat up. She rubbed her eyes before opening them and glared up at the ceiling and then towards the door to her hut. “Freakin birds. Can’t a girl get some sleep around here?” She huffed and then raised her arms above her head in a stretch and let out a huge yawn.

Emma gazed around her home with sorrowful eyes as once again, her dreams had decided not to seep over into her reality. In her dreams, she was in her small two bedroom apartment lying in her double bed. Her school books and papers were scattered across her desk and her room had seen better days of tidiness. But she was happy… oh so happy.

However, her reality was this… Emma was in her hut, a home she had stolen from a den of rabbits, and sitting up on her bed, a towel and t-shirt she had managed to snatch from a local park’s trashcan. Her covers were draped over her, a portion of a wind jacket someone had left at the park, and she looked around to see her home was cluttered with food wrappers, twigs, sticks, matches, pieces of newspaper and other odds and bits.

Emma had pride herself on being a great scavenger and she raided the local park every night. Luckily, her hut was located not far from the park. It was just on the other side of the little brook where she lived. She dare not travel to the park during the day. They were always there during the day… and late into the evening, usually.

Emma stood and dropped her cover to the ground. She was completely nude but wasn’t ashamed. It had become the norm. No one was around to see her anyway. She still kept her clothes and put them on for special occasions. They were all that she had. She refused to wear rags, though she had thought of it. It was just way too degrading.  She had also given up on her hair. She used to run her hands through it every morning to brush out the tangles but, over time, it became too much to manage. Her once beautiful long brown wavy hair was now plastered to her head and matted. She had thought about chopping it all off but she didn’t have the tools to accomplish this.

Emma walked over to the short tunnel that led outside and crawled up before moving the door, a piece of drift wood, aside. She shielded her eyes from the sun and let them adjust before peering out towards the green field ahead of her. The sound of the babbling brook was so peaceful to her. She was so happy to have found this location to live. It has suited her needs just fine for a long time.  As Emma crawled out and got to her feet, a shiver went down her spine. Two things hit her at once. One, she was cold… but two, she realized that it hadn’t been cold like this before…

Emma had stopped keeping track of time. She had been alone for so long… since that day. She had managed to survive on her own in such a monstrous world. But the weather had been quite pleasant. She had never had to battle the cold. But the temperature WAS dropping… she could feel it. She crossed her arms over her chest and let out a short hiccup sob as the reality hit her once more.

Emma was afraid. She feared the cold and she feared what would become of her. But those fears weren’t nearly as terrifying as the fear she had of getting caught… by them. She wouldn’t let them… she’d die first. She had no idea what had become of her people.

Had they been caught and caged? Had they been placed in a laboratory and experimented on? Had they been sold as slaves or pets? Were they even still alive? Or… had they been treated like celebrities? Were they living in luxury? Emma doubted that… but, after all she had been through, she was terrified to find out what had become of them.

Emma walked through the tall grass and knelt by the brook. She dipped her cupped hands in and brought them to her lips, taking in big gulps of water. She did this several times and then splashed her face. She shuddered harder.

“Man, even the w-water is fr-freezing.” She wiped her face with the backs of her hands and stood up.

Twoot twoot twoot twoot.

Emma couldn’t help but smile at the singing birds now that she was outside. Singing birds meant that the weather was still warm enough for them. She thanked her lucky stars that she wasn’t small enough to get carried off by one of them. Though, an owl or a large hawk wasn’t out of the question. She hadn’t encountered one of them yet and she hoped she never would.

Emma made her way over to a tree which sat directly across from her hut, stepping over the trail of black ants that marched determined across the rocks. Its huge base held its roots in unusual patterns that made for a few good sitting spots. Emma climbed up onto her usual perch and sat down. Her eyes gazed across the familiar scene of her own backyard and she sighed. As if on cue, her usual morning friend came twitching along near the base of the tree.

“Well, good morning, Ticker.” Emma grinned as the injured squirrel twitched and looked in her direction. He immediately hobbled over on three feet and sat on the root opposite her and twitched his tail happily.  Ticker had been Emma’s reason for living up to this point. She knew she would have given up long ago had it not been for someone or something to talk to… and she refused to resort to chatting with volleyballs.

Ticker came to visit her every single morning since she had come to find a home in the rabbit’s den. He never actually let her touch him but he did stay nearby while she vented to him about her life. If she saw he came up empty handed for food, she’d always bring him a little snack from her den. Emma saw Ticker as her friend and her pet… and he seemed happy to oblige.

“It’s cooler today. And the wind is blowing harder than usual.” Emma sighed. “I’m concerned, Ticker.”

Ticker didn’t seem concerned at all. He just twitched his little nose in Emma’s direction before turning about on his root to check for danger.

“I just don’t know what to do… I’ve never had to do this before. It’s hard enough surviving like I am… but how will I keep warm?” She looked at her furry friend. “I suppose you won’t volunteer to cuddle, will you?”

Ticker churped out a response and took off down the root and quickly wandered off in search of food.

“Gee, thanks Ticker… I knew I could count on you.” Emma slipped off the root and wandered back over to her den. Inside, she quickly pulled her clothes on – no bra, pale blue panties, a dark green short-sleeve top, jeans and a jean jacket. She slipped her black converse on and, once again, wished that she had worn her Doc Martins that day. Boots would be so much more useful in her condition.

Emma grabbed her stick, that was as tall as she was with a sharpened end, and wandered back outside.

She really didn’t need to hunt for more food at this time. Living by a park made it easy to pick up some left over crumbs or completely unopened candies and granola bars that kids carelessly dropped.

The giants here were much like her own people, Emma had thought several times, just… bigger. She had observed them from afar and really had no ill will towards the average giant – though she feared and hated those who captured her people on that day…

The cold air hit Emma once again and, even completely dressed, she shivered. Exploring was definitely out of the question today. But she knew she couldn’t afford a day of rest. She needed to stay fit and toned.

Emma was never into sports and hated exercising. Despite that, she had a natural thin frame that was neither athletic nor skinny… just average build. Her breasts were on the smaller size but her hips were curvy. In her world, she stood 5 feet 5 inches tall, but in this world she had calculated herself to be not much bigger than a doll – maybe 15 inches at the most – though she never had an actual ruler to find out for sure. Her once bright blue eyes were now dull and grey due to the malnutrition she received and her poor living conditions. Still, for all she had been through, she was a determined little lady.

Emma rested her spear next to the root of the tree and began doing sit-ups. This was followed by jumpy jacks, push-ups, jogging in place and stretches.

Emma stood back up, grabbed her spear and climb back up onto the root of the tree, squatting in place and looking out for any danger. It was cold… so cold… and the wind seemed to be blowing harder. This was not good. Emma could feel herself wanting to cry but she swallowed and composed herself. Now was not the time to panic.

Emma awoke with a start. Her face was set. She lifted a hand and wiped off moisture only to be hit with another drop. She shielded her face and looked around her as the rain started to come down harder. She cursed herself for having fallen asleep against the tree. She clambered off the root and took off towards her den, forgetting her spear. She all but dived into her den and moved the wood back into place.

The rain Emma knew wasn’t a big deal… she used to love the rain. But here, it was like getting pummeled with a giant water balloon each time it hit. The sound of it used to be peaceful but now it just made her shudder.

Emma walked over and gazed at her pile of food. She pulled out the other half of the rice krispy treat she had eaten the day before and took it over to her bed. After her quick sweet dinner, Emma collapsed back onto her bed, not even bothering to undress as she knew it was just going to get colder with the rain. Emma went to her happy place – her dream escape – back home to the life she knew, the world she grew up in, the place where she was happy. And she soon drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 2

Emma awoke with a start. It was light out – she could see from the window by her bed. Her window? Her bed? She sat up straight and looked around her. The plush cream carpet, the boring uneven wallpaper, and the small wooden desk in the corner… this was her apartment.

Emma slowly pushed away the covers and stood, her toes grinding into the carpet with pleasure. She knew this wasn’t real but it didn’t matter. For a few more moments, she was able to feel safe and content in the familiar setting. Not wanting to miss anything while she slept, she opened her bedroom door and stepped out into the living room. It was very simple with a grey suede hand-me-down couch which faced the small flat screen TV, a side table and a glass coffee table.

Emma made her way over to the couch to sit down but something caught her eye from outside the patio door. She made her way over and opened the door, stepping out onto the cool patio. Her bare feet on the cold concrete made her shiver and she wrapped her arms around herself as the wind blew through her smooth, unmatted hair. In the distance, above the neighboring apartments, a bright white light shown in the sky. This light was familiar- too familiar. She recognized it immediately. She remembered that day coming home from campus so well…

The sound of rushing water caught her attention and caused her to look down. Emma gasped and backed away as the flood waters from the street below began to rise quickly. The light caught her attention once more and she watched with horror as the light began to grow, seeming to block out the sky. She couldn’t take her eyes off of it and she tripped over the weather strip from the patio door and landed on her behind in the living room. Still the light grew brighter and brighter and the rushing waters soon poured over her patio and Emma was caught in its flow. She screamed in frustration and covered her eyes with her arms to block out the cursed light.

Emma yelped and shot up in bed. It wasn’t the dream that had awoken her. She couldn’t see anything in her den but she could feel… she was soaking wet. She was lying in a huge puddle of water that felt to be getting higher and higher. She could hear the rain still pouring outside and she began to panic.

“Oh no! Oh no oh no! Oh please no!”

 She stood and sloshed through the shin-high water, feeling around for the wall and then made her way to the door. The water was higher in the tunnel but she closed her eyes, held her breath and crawled with her hands on the ceiling and her knees sliding in the mud.

Emma was met with great resistance as she leaned against the door but she pushed with all her might and the wood gave way, turning on its head and causing her to slip and fall face first into the rushing waters.

Emma quickly recovered and pulled herself up into a sitting position, twisting her face away from the torrent that entered her home.  She backpedaled out of the den and into the storm of the night.

It was still dark out and the light of the moon was hidden behind the clouds. Luckily the local park lights were on but they barely reached where Emma sat. She quickly stood and ran over to her tree, scrambling up onto its roots. This was hardly a decent shelter but it was the best she could do under the circumstances.

Emma pulled off her jacket, shivering violently in the cold, and pulled it over the head to soften the blows of the raindrops. As the thunder clapped, she screamed and pulled her jacket closer around her.

Emma hadn’t been afraid of thunderstorms since she was a little girl. But now she was smaller than ever and thunderstorms in this world scared the shit out of her.

She curled herself up tighter against the tree and said a prayer. She was freezing and wet and the wind blew hard, continually trying to knock her off of her perch.

Emma sobbed openly under the mix of the rain. “Why? Why did this happen to me? WHY?? FUCKING WHY?!” Her screams were drowned out by the next clap of thunder. She slumped onto the root, her jacket falling off onto her lap.

Several hours passed and the tiny doll-size girl remained nestled on the root of the tree at the far end of the park. The storm had passed but a light drizzle still rained from the sky. Emma shivered like she never had before. Her jacket was back around her and she attempted to keep warm beneath the wet leaves she had gathered. It was dawn but the sun had not risen and there were no birds chirping.

Emma slowly and shakily stood from the root and climbed down. She walked to her den, her tiny feet making footprints in the mud, and peered inside. Emma hiccupped a sob as the discovered her home was completely flooded. Her food, her bed and all of her supplies were gone. She’d have to start over…

Emma placed her head in her hands and screamed out her frustration.
“What am I going to do… I – I don’t understand. Haven’t I been through enough?” Emma rocked back and forth on her heels, chanting to herself. She couldn’t understand what was happening to her. She felt much like she did the day she came into this nightmare of a place. Hopeless… completely and utterly hopeless.

The rain had passed, the sky was clear and the sun shone in the sky. It was mid-morning yet no birds were chirping and Emma had yet to see Ticker. She remained huddled on the root at the base of her tree, looking at the wetlands before her. The brook had overflown and the water sloshed about as waves on a shore.

She was hungry but was far too cold and too upset to search for food. She remained on her spot, searching for any sign of her friend and hoping he’d be willing to let her touch him today. She so wanted to cuddle up to his warm soft fur.

As the sun rose higher in the sky, Emma began to warm up and felt calm enough to move. Her spear had been lost in the storm of the night and she was nervous about venturing on without it as she had no means for protection. But, in the end, it didn’t matter. She knew that there was no way she could prepare herself for the winter. She was already nervous about it before the storm had hit. Now she had no shelter, no food and no way to keep warm. She was done for – a lost cause – and for the first time ever, she considered turning herself in.  

Emma turned and faced the park. She was a long ways from where any of the giants could see her. But she could see them… tiny dots in the distance taking their morning jogs or walking their dogs – if you could call those beasts dogs. What would they do to her? What had happened to her people?

She had thought about these questions over and over again for the past several months and the answers were never good. But it had to be better than freezing or starving to death… or getting eaten by an animal…right?

Ticker had not come. She knew that Ticker was busy gathering for the winter. Or maybe he had already found a home to settle in to. Emma was on her own now, she knew this.  Emma pulled her jacket tighter around herself and walked towards the park.

Emma had not been around giants in a long time. Sure, one would come close by every once in a while but she knew she was safe in her den. Now she had no protection and she wasn’t sure she needed any. She was turning herself in… and she was terrified.

She kept playing other scenarios in her head, any other direction she could turn to but she always came up empty handed.

As Emma neared the park, she made a bee-line for the shrubs that bordered the whole area. She didn’t know what she was looking for but she wasn’t ready to be caught just yet. She crawled under the stems of the bushes, pausing every time a giant child came racing over to catch a ball that had come free of his grasp.

Emma could never quite believe what she was seeing. People just shouldn’t be that huge… ever! It was something she never could wrap her brain around. She paused once more as a young couple strolled by when something caught her attention. A delicious scent filled the air. A scent she recognized but hadn’t been acquainted with in a long time… wonderful greasy hot food…

Emma inhaled deeply and her eyes nearly rolled into the back of her head. It was heavenly. Her empty stomach growled fiercely at this new discovery. She peeked her head out of the shrub and gazed over to the vender booths lined up along the edge of one end of the park. The area was quite busy but the shrubs went just along the edge of them, right by some tables in the shade.

Emma moved quicker than she thought possible within the jungle of the hedge, the smell of grease calling her name. She never once thought about how she’d obtain the food, just that she would no matter what the cost. As she neared the edge of the park, the sound of the giants chatting and moving about overwhelmed her senses and she paused for a moment to clear her head. Now was not the time to be reckless.

Emma continued crawling along the hedge as it rounded a corner right up against a booth. The smell was overpowering but she soaked it all in as much as she could. There was a long line of people waiting to get food but Emma could only see their feet as they shuffled about impatiently.  Her mouth was watering at the smells coming from above but something else caught her attention just then…

There was a TV screen angled near the top of the vender booth facing the crowd of people so they wouldn’t get too antsy. Emma had not seen a TV in so long that it took her by surprise when she peeked her head out to view it. However, she wouldn’t have given it a second thought were it not for the local newscaster’s announcement.

“And right now, we have with us, a very special little guest - One of THE passengers from the March 11th incident. With her is her caretaker, Donald Harmon. Please welcome, little Beverly Brooks.”

Emma stared, mouth agape, as the young black business woman from the city bus stepped onto the news room desk on the TV. 

Chapter 3

“Welcome, Beverly. We’re very glad to have you here today.”

“Th-thank you so much, Derek. I-it’s great to be here.” Beverly clasped her hands in front of her solid white jumpsuit and gazed down at her feet in a seemingly shy gesture.

“Haha. And nice to have you here as well, Donald. You have quite a precious little lady here.”

“Aye. That she is, Derek. Quite a handful, too. Haha.”

Beverly looked nervously over at her ‘caretaker’ with a forced smile on her face.

Emma felt sick to her stomach. That was not the business woman she remembered. She was the loud, entitled woman on the city bus. Definitely not the shy, timid and polite woman she was seeing right now.

“Well, Beverly, it’s hard to believe it’s been six months since you all were rescued from that wreckage. How have you been getting along?”

Beverly quickly cut her eyes over to her caretaker once more before lifting her head high and answering with supposed confidence. “Well, Derek, as you know, my companions and I are very well taken care of. So everything is just f-… great! Everything is just great.” A forced smile appeared on her nervous face as she looked back to Donald again.

The newscaster smiled. “That’s wonderful. And, how are you getting along, Donald?”

The stupid fat giant began to take over the conversation but Emma’s eyes remained on Beverly as long as the camera would allow it. Her eyes helped to betray her phony performance. She looked like she was about to cry. And she wasn’t the only one.

Emma turned her head from the TV, not caring to see anymore, as tears began to flow freely. She had her answer now. Even if her people weren’t being experimented on, they were still being imprisoned.

Emma blindly pushed along the shrubs, crawling away from the sounds of the TV and the large crowd. She settled a little further down near a few tables and chairs that had been set out for outside dining. Table umbrellas were open to block out the sun, putting Emma in the shade. She began shivering again but didn’t take notice since her sobs were already shaking her. She placed her head in her hands and cried softly.

“Who the hell CARES? I mean, really… can’t we move on from the whole ‘little people’thing??”

Emma’s sobs stopped short as she could feel and hear two giants approaching her. She dropped her hands and peered out of the bushes just as two young women each took a seat at the table she was closest to. She couldn’t see their faces from her perch but she could see that one was wearing black slacks and pumps while the other was still trying to hold on to summer by wearing tan capris and white sandals.

“So little beings drop out of the sky and you’re wondering why people care?” White sandals chuckled.

“But that was like a YEAR ago. Big deal! Now they’re living in the lap of luxury at tax payer’s expense.” Black pumps retaliated.

“Well, if luxury had a lap, they could probably fit in it. But, seriously, though. It’s only been six months AND what makes you think that?”

“They showed a documentary on it a few months ago. Don’t you remember? We watched it at your house.”

“Yes but you can’t always believe what you see in those programs. The only reason why they came out with it at all is because of the activists. People don’t like the idea that those little ones are being mistreated. I know I don’t…” Sandals muttered the last bit under her breath so her friend couldn’t hear… but Emma did.

“Better they are mistreated than to live as kings. They don’t even BELONG here!”

“You’re getting overworked. Let’s move on to another subject, shall we? How has work been?”

Emma tuned the next conversation out, instead pondering the words of the chatty friends. It was more than obvious to her now that not one giant was the same as another. Out of the two giants before her, one was out for her blood, while the other…

Emma couldn’t turn herself in to just any giant. She’d have to weed out the bad from the good. But she didn’t have much time. She had no food and no shelter and the temperature would continue to drop. Her time was up… even sooner than she thought.

“I gotta run to the ladies’ room. That time of the month.” Black pumps whispered to white sandals.

“Hurry back!”

Emma watched as the chair slid back noisily and the nicely dressed giant stood and trotted off.

Could she do this? SHOULD she do this? There’s no going back after this…

She watched for a moment as the sandaled feet pushed against the ground, noisily sliding another chair back, and the jean capris crossed themselves at the knee.

Emma could now see that the giant toes in the white sandal were trimmed professionally and french painted. Her eyes traveled up the long legs until she could see the bottom of the dark green table and then a flow of silky auburn hair jutting above it. There was no time now… the friend was due back any second. Black pumps frightened Emma and she hesitated, afraid white sandals may show her to black pumps, even if all went well.

Emma took one last look around and only spotted an elderly couple sitting together at a table on the other end of dining patio.

Gathering as much courage as she could muster, Emma crawled out from under the shrubbery and slowly approached the woman. She could now see the woman was wearing a dark blue-grey blouse and a grey pinstriped jacket. She was casually looking ahead, occasionally sipping from the white mug in her hands.

Emma stood, unsure what her next move should be. Should she call to her? Approach her? Or just quickly run back in the bushes and pretend it never happened?

Before she could decide, a pair of hazel eyes looked down and then in the direction of where she was standing. Emma froze, gazing into the depths of the beautiful eyes as they widened. She stirred and slowly backed away as a very audible gasp emitted from between the giant’s pale pink lips.

“By the gods…” The giantess breathed. “Are you real…?”

Emma couldn’t move. She couldn’t breathe. She was beyond frightened.

The next moment, the giantess looked around the area quickly and then over to where her friend had disappeared minutes before and then slowly pushed forward out of her chair. She squatted down next to the terrified girl and whispered. “Can you speak? What are you doing here? Where did you come from?”

When Emma still didn’t move, the woman frowned and slowly reached a hand out.

This awoke Emma with a start as she yelped, spun and quickly dove back into the bushes.

“Oh, no wait! Wait, come back! I’m not going to hurt you…”

“Hurt who?”

Emma didn’t have to look to know black pumps was back. Her breathing came in loud gasps as she tried to slow her heart rate. She was on anxiety overdrive. She didn’t care to listen to the rest of their conversation. She pulled herself back into the shadow of the shrubs and curled up onto the mulch. She listened to the mumbled dialogue of white sandals and black pumps and slowly fell asleep.

Emma awoke quite groggy and disoriented. It took her a few seconds to realize where she was. The mulch beneath her was damp and, despite the fact that the thick branches and leaves of the hedge protected her from the wind, she was freezing. But more than that, she was starving. Her stomach gnarled and bit at her insides. She rubbed her stomach, trying to calm it. The smells and sounds that she fell asleep to had disappeared.

Emma sat up slowly and peered out of the bushes. It was dark and the crowds and vendors had all vanished. Their absence made for an eerie sort of wonderland. The moon was, once again, hidden by cloud cover but the street lamps were lit along the whole way of the park.

Emma was weak from hunger and stiff from the cold but her curiosity got the better of her. She looked around cautiously before crawling out of the bushes and onto the concrete of the patio dining area.

Her first priority was food and with the giants gone, she could claim herself a feast from their leftovers on the ground. She had seen quite a few sad scenes earlier in the day where a child would accidentally drop half a hotdog or fries on the ground. But as Emma scoured the scene, she could find nothing. Either the park employees were really thorough with their jobs or the nearby scuttling park animals got to them first. They were preparing for winter, after all.

Emma called out in frustration and felt like having a tantrum right then and there. It just wasn’t fair… wasn’t fair wasn’t fair wasn’t f –

Movement in the corner of her eye made her jump and spin around. She was standing right in the open among the park lights. How could she be so stupid? Had she been seen?

A large shadow slowly stepped to one side and then took a cautious step forward. Emma turned to bolt.

“Hello.” A soft voice called.

Emma stopped and gazed at the giant shadow. It stepped forward again and she caught a glimpse of auburn hair under the park lights. Another step and Emma could see the hazel eyes of the giant woman she had revealed herself to earlier that day.

“It’s okay. I-I’m not going to hurt you.” The woman took one more step forward and knelt down on the ground. These movements made Emma lower her eyes to watch the giant feet shift. The tan capris and white sandals had now been replaced by jeans and grey boots due to the cold night air.

“Can you talk?”

Emma’s eyes drifted back up to the auburn framed face. Her lips shook as they parted but, though she tried hard to answer, nothing came out. She bowed her head, unsure what to do or how to respond.

The hazel eyes gazed over the tiny shivering creature and softened. “You poor little thing. You must be frozen.” The giantess pouted slightly. “Are you hungry?”

Emma’s head shot back up in answer.

The giantess smiled softly and reached into her brown coat pocket and produced a small sealed bag. Her movements were soft and subtle so as not to frighten the poor girl any more than she already was. She opened the bag and then leaned forward and set it on the ground a few feet in front of Emma.

Emma’s eyes never left the bag since it first came in sight. FOOD! Real food! She was famished and she immediately crawled on hands and knees over to it. She didn’t care what the giant was going to do to her. It didn’t matter. She opened the bag further and was greeted with a familiar sight… chips!

Oh how she had missed this!

Emma greedily pulled one out of the bag and began gnawing on it. It was huge and a bit cold but still wonderful. She glanced up as she chewed, hearing her giant provider chuckle.

“I wasn’t sure what your kind ate but I had never heard of any creature turning down starch.” Her smile was warm and almost inviting. “My name is Kathryn. What’s yours?”

Emma swallowed a large mouthful and found her voice once again. “Em-m.. Emmalise. Stocking. Emmalise Stocking” She cringed how her voice squeaked compared to the giant’s.

Kathryn’s smile widened. “Emmalise Stocking. It’s nice to meet you. You have a last name as well. Mine is Harvest.”

“Kathryn Harvest.”

“Yes. You can call me Kate if you’d like.”

Emma managed a soft smile. “You can call me Emma.”

“Emma it is then.”

Kate’s eyes were practically shining as she engaged the little girl.

“What are you doing out here, Emma? Did you escape from the government or something?”

Oh no… oh no oh no.

Emma stopped eating altogether, her eyes widening, and began backpedaling towards the safety of the hedge.

Kate’s face dropped at Emma’s reaction and she immediately realized what she had done wrong.

“No wait! I didn’t mean it like that! I won’t… I’m not going to report you to them, I promise! I was just- I’m… I’m so sorry. You poor thing.” Her voiced dropped to a whisper and nearly broke at the end.

Emma stopped retreating and just stared at the giant before her.

“Well, you did confirm something for me. The government isn’t treating you little ones like royalty. You’re scared to death of them, aren’t you?”

Emma slowly made her way back over to the bag of chips, this time keeping a wary eye on her guest. “I don’t know. I’ve never been captured by them.”

“Never?”

Emma took another bite of a chip and shook her head.

“Of course. I don’t suppose you’d be so… dirty if you had been.”

Emma began to take offence at the accusation but then realized Kate was right. She was dirty.

“I uh… the water has been too cold to bathe in lately.” She took another bite, bowing her head in embarrassment.

Kate pursed her lips and stared at little Emma in pity. “Well… Would you like to- I mean… I can- hmm.”

Emma looked up from her meal, curiously.

“There’s warm water back at my place. Would you like me to take you there? You could clean up and then I could bring you right back here if you’d like.”

Emma wasn’t ready for a question like that. There was way too much to think about. How would she get to Kate’s house? What would it be like there? Did she live alone? If not, did she really want to reveal herself to anyone else? What if she was lying? Would she turn her in? Surely there’s some ransom for her capture…

“I…I…”

“I understand. It was just an offer. I’m not going to force you to do anything.” Kate smiled, reassuringly. “I could always come back tomorrow and maybe bring you something else to eat and maybe something warmer to wear.”

Suddenly the thought of being left alone and cold and hungry again sounded abhorrent to Emma.

“…Okay… I’ll go.” She answered quickly.

Kate blinked in surprise. “What?”

“I’ll go to your house… i-if that’s okay.”

Kate grinned. “Really?”

“I don’t…” Emma choked back a sob. “I don’t want to be alone again.”

Kate’s heart melted at the tiny girl’s words. All she wanted to do was take her in her arms and comfort her but she didn’t want to frighten her. Instead she slowly leaned forward and cautiously reached out her hand.

Emma froze, still holding onto her chip, as the huge hand approached. She didn’t know how to react as she had several nightmares over the past months of a huge hand reaching out to grab her. But she also knew she had to trust Kate if she was going to allow her to help her.

Kate slowly brushed two fingertips across Emma’s cheek, bracing herself for the little one’s reaction.

All of Emma’s anxiety diminished as the two gentle fingers caressed her. She had felt no other gentle touch since the day she got on that city bus home. The chip dropped from her hands and she closed her eyes, leaning against the warm fingers. Tear began to flow freely down her cheeks and her face scrunched up as she tried to fight the overwhelming urge to break out in sobs.

Kate reacted immediately, now cupping her fingers behind Emma’s head pressing the palm of her hand against the side of the little girl’s face. She began to shush and coo to the girl like she had done so many times with her baby niece. “Shh. It’s okay, sweetheart. You’re safe.”

Kate slowly reached out her other hand and cupped it around Emma’s backside, easing her onto it like a seat. “I’m not gonna hurt you. I’m going to hold you, okay?”

Emma nodded meekly, covering her own face with her hand to try and block out her cries.

Kate gently scooped up the girl, amazed at how light and fragile she was. She stood and cradled Emma in the crook of her arm, wrapping her coat around her, keeping Emma hidden and warm.

Emma curled up into the darkness and warmth of Kate’s coat. There was alarm and panic in the back of her mind but, for a moment, it was put to rest as the rocking movement of Kate’s walking lured her to sleep.

Kathryn Harvest

Chapter 4

Emma felt herself being shaken and it made it hard to stay asleep, despite the warmth around her. She slowly opened her eyes only to quickly close them again as a bright light blared down on her.
“Wake up… wake up!” A sharp voice cut through her discomfort and she sat up immediately and turned her head to the source of the voice and opened her eyes again.

Beverly, the woman she had seen earlier in the day on television, kneeled beside of her. As happy as Emma was to see someone her own size, a split second later it dawned on her what had happened.

“Wha-? Where am I? No… how did I get here?”
“Hush. Don’t let them see you talking without permission.” Beverly made a zipping motion across her lips and fell silent.

The two women were in a glass aquarium against a white wall in a very sterile looking room. It reminded Emma of an operating room. In front of her, she could see out in the vast opening, a large metal table and a tray full of sharp and uninviting instruments. It was all worse than she could have imagined.
Emma was in a state of panic. This was not what she wanted. Not what she expected. How could she be so stupid? To put her trust in a giant like that…
As if on cue, a large door on the far side of the room opened and in stepped a man covered from head to toe in hospital scrubs, his mouth hidden behind a mask, only his dark eyes showing. Behind him walked in Kathryn Harvest, a bright smile on her pretty face.

Emma’s jaw dropped and she felt sick to her stomach as they both approached her cage.
“There, you see? She’ll be just fine. We’re going to take great care of her, I promise.” The man spoke in a gruff voice.
Kate pouted a bit as she looked into Emma’s eyes. “You’ll be okay, little one. They’re going to take good care of you here.”
“K-Kate! No! He’s lying! Please, take me out of here! Please!”
The man chuckled and smacked at the glass in front of Emma’s face, making her yelp and fall onto her back in surprise. He turned to Kate and, from his shirt pocket, produced a large sum of cash which he placed in her hand. “There you are. And don’t worry. She’s in great hands…”
Emma sobbed in despair and threw herself back towards Kate in one last attempt at a rescue.
“NO! Kate, don’t leave me! You can’t!! Help me!! Please no!! No no nooooo no no…” Emma screamed in panic and shook her head back and forth.

Kate looked down at Emma in surprise and spoke in a gentle shushing. “There there… it’s okay, Emma. Calm down. Emma… Emma… Emma…”
Giant hands opened the cage and reached for her and she backed away closed her eyes in near defeat.

“Nonononono!”

“EMMA!”

“NO!!” The tiny girl screamed out one last time as giant hands circled around her middle and lifted her into the air, kicking and screaming.
“EMMA! Wake up, darling! Wake up!”

Emma whimpered, keeping her eyes closed, trying to slow her breathing. She was beyond upset but was surprised to find that the hands around her were soft and smooth instead of rough and latex covered like the giant man in scrubs were. She slowly opened her eyes and found herself in a dark, barely lit room instead of the bright sterile OR. She sniffed loudly as she looked into the concerned hazel eyes before her.
“K-Kate.”
Kate breathed a sigh of relief as Emma began to settle in her hands. She gently laid her back onto the pillow on her guest bed and continued to gaze over her in concern. “I’m here.” She gently brushed a stringy lock of hair out of the tiny girl’s eyes. “Quite a nightmare you were having there.”

“N-nightmare… none of it was real.”

The giant slowly shook her head. “I don’t believe so… that is, unless it was a memory.”

Emma covered her face with her hands and whimpered again.

Kate stroked the small girl gently, across her forehead, down her cheek, down her arms and back up again until Emma began to calm.

Emma slowly lowered her hands from her eyes, her breathing returning to normal. “Thank you. I’m… I’m sorry about that.”

Kate’s answering smile was sweet. “Please, little one. No need to apologize for such a thing as that.” She removed her hand and placed it in her lap. Emma followed her movement and then gazed around her. The room was lit only with a small side table lamp so she could barely see past the bed in any direction. Though, that was something to be said, for the bed was huge. The pillow she was lying on was more than sufficient as a bed for her. Her eyes went back up to Kate’s.

“Where are we?”

“My home. My apartment, rather.” Kate added with a bit of distaste.

“Is this your room?”

Kate chuckled. “No. This is just a spare which is why it’s on the smaller side.”

Emma raised an eyebrow. “This is on the smaller side?”

Kate lowered her head, as if embarrassed, but kept her amused grin. “Well, by my people’s standards, yes.”

Emma managed a small smile as well. Her dream was somewhat forgotten and she was happy and a bit surprised that she was warming up to the giant woman so fast. “Do you live alone?”

“For the most part.”

“…meaning…?”

“My boyfriend comes and stays with me from time to time.”

“Oh.” This concerned Emma greatly. She wasn’t ready to reveal herself to anyone else anytime soon.

Kate read her worry and quickly quelled her fears. “Don’t worry. He’s not due back for a week or so.” She sounded a bit disappointed at the statement and Emma almost felt bad for bringing it up.

“Do you want to sleep some more, Emma?”

Emma shook head, enthusiastically, producing a small ‘aww’ from her giant host.

“Well then, how about some supper? I’m not sure what your kind eats. I did make spaghetti. Er, spaghetti is – “

“You have spaghetti here?”

Kate laughed. “You know what spaghetti is, then?”

Emma nodded. “Oh yes. One of my favorites back ho- erm… back where I came from.”

Kate shook her head in wonder. “You little ones aren’t much different than us, are you?”

Emma didn’t have an answer to that.

“Shall I carry you? Or do you want to try and manage by yourself?”

“Did you carry me here?”

“All the way from the park.” Kate gently ruffled Emma’s matted hair with a fingertip.

“Is that a long way?”

“Nah. You can almost see the park from my kitchen window. Not my preferred view but not much I can do about that.”

Emma slowly sat up on the soft pillow and looked about. She pondered the idea of being able to crawl down off of the bed and walk to the kitchen, considering how big just the pillow was.

“Um. Maybe you could put me down on the floor? And then I can go from there…?”

Kate nodded, her charming smile never leaving her face. “Of course, dear.”

Emma wasn’t sure how Kate was going to go about it so she remained still until Kate reached both hands forward and slid them beneath her, one hand supporting her back while the other hand supported her legs. Kate gently lifted Emma towards her chest and stood up slowly before kneeling down on the floor and setting the tiny girl’s feet onto it.

It surprised Emma just how fluid the giant was in her movements. She didn’t feel rustled about or shaken at all. It was all quite easy. As if someone was helping her down from off of a chair.

Kate’s hand remained close by until Emma was stable and then withdrew as Kate stood back up.

Emma craned her neck to look up at her giant host. Kate lifted a finger into the air.

“One second…” She turned and took a few huge strides into the darkness while Emma watched with fascination. Suddenly a bright light came on overhead causing the small girl to wince. She ducked her head and stared at the ground until the white spots left her vision. She noticed the wood floor beneath her sneakers and was grateful. She wondered if it would be difficult walking on giant carpet. She could almost see the floorboards quake as Kate stepped back over to her again.

“This way, dear.”

Emma looked back up and smiled at Kate, her giant friend’s infectious smile getting to her. “Coming.” She took off in a quick walk across the guest bedroom. She noticed pretty quickly that the room was mostly bare, save for the bed and a side table and dresser. The huge doorway made her gawk as she made her way towards the hall. It was almost easy to forget just how small she was when she was living outdoors among the forest. While the animals were bigger, she could imagine them as lions and bears and elephants instead of what they really were. And huge trees could have been just like the redwoods in California. But being in a normal looking house that was a hundred times bigger than it should be, really hit Emma hard and she felt her melancholy returning. Would she ever get back home?

As Emma stepped out into the hallway, she looked towards the left and then towards the right. Just the length and height of each end was bigger than a shopping mall. She suddenly regretted her decision to be independent.

Kate had stopped at the end of the hallway, leading into the den, and watched her small guest emerge from the bedroom. She was still in awe of the fact that there was such a tiny being staying as a guest in her home. It was hard to wrap her mind around it. The poor girl was so tiny and defenseless; it hit home to Kate just how much power her own people had over them. She shuddered at the thought of anyone trying to harm little Emma. She would do anything in her power to keep that from happening.

“Well…” Emma thought as she stepped to the middle of the hallway, “I guess I get to find out now...”

The floor out in the hallway was covered in plush carpet. She immediately felt unstable. Between that and the distance, she was ready to sit down and have a good cry. Instead she looked down at her feet as they sunk into the cream colored fibers.

Kate frowned in concern. “Emma?”

When Emma didn’t respond, she quickly stepped back down the hall towards her. As she approached, Emma tilted her head up to look at her. “What’s wrong, Emma?”

“It’s… a long way, isn’t it?”

Kate pursed her lips in a pout to hide her smile. Her apartment wasn’t big at all. For anyone to say different was quite comical, but she knew that wasn’t a joke Emma would appreciate.

“Yes. It is a pretty long way. Hmm. Maybe you should let me carry you.”

Emma shuffled her feet, nervously. “You think?”

Kate nodded. “Oh yes. It’s a pretty good ways yet. Down the end of the hall, it’s just the den. We still have to get by that in order to reach the kitchen. I’d say it was a must.”

At this point, Emma knew that Kate was playing with her but she really didn’t mind too much. “Well, I guess I have no choice. This is your house so you’re in charge.”

Kate couldn’t help her giggle as she reached down and very gently took the small girl in her arms. She held Emma to her chest using only one hand this time, her forearm holding her in place while her fingers supported her upper back.

Emma wasn’t quite ready to watch the world whiz by so she buried her face in Kate’s shirt until she could feel the movement cease.

Kate, meanwhile, had thought that was the cutest thing she had ever seen. Tiny Emma clinging and snuggling to her like a small child filled Kate with warmth and love for the small girl. She was ready to bury her nose in Emma’s hair and nuzzle and snuggle her and promise that she’d never let anything happen to her. But there was one problem… Emma stunk. And she stunk badly.

Kate recalled a similar smell from an abandoned puppy she had found wandering the park one afternoon. She gave the puppy a bath and it was good as new. She’d have to do the same for Emma before there’d be any form of snuggling.

Kate made her way into her dine-in kitchen and grabbed a towel that was draped over the oven handle. She laid it out on the kitchen bar top before setting Emma on top of it. Emma slowly let go of Kate as she settled down on the towel, grateful that her giant keeper had thought of it. It would be freezing to sit on the bar top without it.

“Be just a second, okay?”

Emma nodded and watched as Kate began rummaging through the fridge and cabinets, pulling out the spaghetti and warming it up in the microwave. Everything seemed so normal and recognizable to her. Just so much bigger. It was so surreal.

“Kate?”

“Yes, sweetie?” Kate leaned against the opposite countertop next to the microwave and smiled.

“What do you call yourselves?”

Kate’s brow creased, puzzled. “Pardon?”

“What do you call your people? What is the name? The species?”

“Oh. We’re called ‘humans’. Homo sapiens, I think?”

Emma’s jaw visibly dropped. What??

“Humans?”

“Mm hmm. Don’t ask me where the name came from, though. I’m afraid I never really studied that. Darwin maybe?”

Emma didn’t know whether to panic or not. The giant before her was describing her OWN species and history… How was that even possible??

“What do you little ones call yourself?”

Emma shook her head, still flabbergasted. “That’s… it’s not important.”

“Oh. Okay...” Kate shrugged, now a bit curious, and opened up the microwave right before it beeped. She dipped her finger on the plate, checking to make sure it wasn’t too hot, and then set about cutting the noodles into tiny pieces for her guest.

The aroma of spaghetti made Emma forget her worries for the moment. It smelled heavenly, much like the park food had earlier in the day. But, this time, she was going to get a taste of it. Her mouth watered and she all but jumped onto the plate once Kate set it down beside of her.

“Whoa, little one! Careful! It may be too hot.”

Emma didn’t care. Her hands grabbed at the warm noodles and shoved them into her mouth, greedily. She hadn’t had hot fresh food in so long…

Kate’s heart swelled as she watched the tiny girl indulge. The poor thing was starving. She began to wonder what all had happened to her petite guest. She wanted to ask but decided to save the questions for later. Maybe a nice bedtime story… She didn’t want to gawk at the small girl while she ate so she busied herself with cleaning the few dishes she had in the sink from her dinner earlier and then cleaning out the sink and filling it with warm water.

“Be right back, okay?”

Emma didn’t answer for she was still eating quite heartily.

Kate grinned and set off towards her bathroom. She pulled the shower curtain aside and grabbed a bottle of shampoo, shower gel and bubble bath and made her way back to the kitchen.

Emma was finishing up her last bite of dinner and watching Kate with much curiosity upon her return.

“Good grief, Emma. You ate more than I could.” She giggled and waited for Emma to back up a bit before removing the plate and setting it on the kitchen counter. Emma licked the sauce off of her fingers and hands as best as she could before wiping the rest on the towel she was on.

“What’s all that for?”

“For your bath.” Kate squirted a couple of drops of jasmine into the sink as the water continued to rise.

“Really?” Emma couldn’t believe her ears. A warm, hot bath… just for her. She felt like crying but held herself together.

“Mm hmm. Sound good to you?” Kate turned to Emma with another smile.

“You have no idea…”

“Good.” Kate moved the faucet over the adjoining sink and continued to let the warm water run and then walked back over to Emma. “Care for a lift?”

Emma was so excited that she actually stood and held her arms out like a small child. Kate gently gathered her in both of her hands and carried her over to the sink, setting her on the counter next to it. It took all Emma had to keep herself from diving into the sink.

“Okay. Clothes off.”

“What?”

“Clothes… off.” Kate chuckled. “You really plan on bathing with them on?”

“Well no but… you’re- I mean… I…” Emma turned beet red in embarrassment. No no no! She would not strip in front of this stranger.

“You know, I’m just guessing but… I’m pretty sure you don’t have anything that I don’t have myself. I will turn around while you strip but then I want to help you in. I don’t want you slipping and hurting yourself, okay?”

Emma groaned in protest but quickly nodded. At that point, she could hardly care. She just wanted to be in that warm bubbly goodness. Kate nodded in return and turned away from her. Emma quickly stripped off her jacket and shirt, fumbled with the button on her jeans a bit, kicked off her shoes and wiggled out of her panties. Standing nude on the countertop in the giant kitchen, Emma covered herself as best as she could and cleared her throat. “I’m uh… ready.” Her voice quivered a bit as she shivered.

Kate spun around and paused, her smile dropping from her face completely as she looked Emma over. The poor girl was covered in scratches and bruises from head to toe… not to mention her ribs and hip bones were showing more than they should. Kate quickly recovered her smile so as not to embarrass Emma, who had ducked her head when she turned around.

“Okie dokie then!” She gently wrapped both hands around Emma’s waist and thighs and moved her over to the sink. She dipped the tiny toes in first. “Too hot?”

Emma shook her head enthusiastically and actually wiggled in her grip. “No! Lemme in!”

Kate happily obliged and lowered Emma in until her tiny feet touched the bottom of the sink.

Emma felt like she had died and gone to heaven. In fact, she nearly passed out from the sensation. Her knees buckled and she began to slip face first into the water.

“Whoa!” Kate quickly took hold of her again. She opened her hand and draped Emma’s arms over between her index finger and thumb, letting her mid-section lay in her palm as she relaxed completely. Kate gently dragged her body in the water, letting her legs float out behind her. She used her free hand to squirt some shower gel onto her wrist and then rub it in with her fingers to lather it up before applying it to the tiny girl’s shoulders and back.

Emma gave in completely, letting the practically-still-a-stranger giant woman wash her like a baby. She didn’t care anymore. She hadn’t felt so wonderful since before… since before…

Emma sobbed openly into the water, helping to relieve the rest of the tension she was holding back. She wasn’t sure if Kate noticed but she didn’t really care about that either.

Kate did notice but decided not to act upon it just yet. She just continued to wash and caress Emma gently as she relaxed in the bath. She cupped a handful of water and carefully poured it onto Emma’s matted hair before getting a few drops of shampoo on her fingertips and rubbing it into the tiny scalp. Emma moaned aloud as if she was in a wave of ecstasy as the giant fingertip rubbed her aching scalp. Kate paused for a second, blushing, before continuing. She, once again, had to fight the urge to bring the little girl back to her chest and cuddle her. If only Kate had found her earlier… maybe Emma wouldn’t have had to go through so so much. A single tear escaped Kate’s eyes before she could blink it away. Her hands were both occupied so she couldn’t wipe it away before it fell from her face and landed on the tiny bare shoulder.

Chapter 5

Emma had finally managed to keep herself upright in the sink but let Kate help wash her. Kate was very professional in that she didn’t linger in one spot or try to make Emma feel uncomfortable in any way. Emma would blush a few times but then just brush it off.

While Emma relaxed, Kate had retrieved a small comb from her vanity in hopes that she could bring some life back to the mangled mess of hair on the tiny girl’s head.

“I’m afraid I can’t do much about these tangles.”

Emma sighed in response, keeping her eyes closed as she floated. “Don’t worry about it. I gave up a long time ago.”

Kate pursed her lips in thought. “Be right back.”

“Mm.”

Kate turned and walked down the hallway to her bedroom. She rummaged through her closet until she found a women’s grooming kit she had purchased at a beauty supply store some time before. She grabbed the item she was looking for and made her way back to the kitchen.

“Let’s see what we can do about these locks, eh?”

Emma opened her eyes and gazed at the instrument in Kate’s hand. “What is that?”

“It’s a razor comb.”

“Oh…” Emma closed her eyes again. “I always wondered what it would be like to be bald…”

Kate chuckled and reached down into the water with her free hand, unplugging the drain. Emma immediately opened her eyes and tried to find her footing on the slippery sink floor.

“It’s alright. I got you.” Kate placed her hand on Emma’s back and slowly guided her to the side of the sink. There, she let her rest against it while she chopped away at Emma’s hair.

Emma began to shiver as the water slowly drained away but she didn’t complain. She remained as still as she could while the giant hands worked on her hair. She watched as her own hair fell around her in clumps.

“There. That’s better.” Kate set the comb on the kitchen counter and turned the faucet again so that the warm water spilled back into the sink Emma was in.

“Hold on to me.” Kate order as she placed her open hand sideways so that her palm was facing the little girl. Emma pushed away from the edge of the sink and wrapped an arm around Kate’s thumb as she was guided back to the stream of warm water. She leaned against the open hand as Kate massaged her scalp under the faucet and then shampooed and rinsed it again.

“Mm.” Emma moaned softly and had to force herself to stay awake.

Kate turned the water off with her free hand and gently wrapped her fingers around Emma, bringing her up out of the sink. Still holding onto her, Kate opened the drawer just to the left of the sink and pulled out a hand-towel which she used to drape around the shivering girl.  She gently patted and rubbed Emma within the towel to help dry her off a bit and then scooped her up into her arms, towel and all.

Emma nestled down into the towel, fighting sleep. She was so exhausted from the day’s events, including the emotional highs and lows. While she was very happy to have found Kathryn Harvest, she still didn’t trust her completely. Who knew what tomorrow would hold.

Kate carried Emma back into the guest room and gently laid her onto the bed. She was careful not to dislodge the towel as she adjusted her hold.

“There we go.” Kate almost cooed. “I’m going to go wash your clothes so you’ll have something clean to wear in the morning.”

Emma reached a hand up to her head and felt her thinner and much lighter hair.

“Thank you. Do uh… do you happen to have something I can wear until then? To sleep in?”

Kate frowned, apologetically. “I’m afraid I don’t. You’ll have to - oh wait! I may have something that will work! Be right back!” She grinned and spun on her heel.

Emma lifted her other hand from the towel, making it slide down her body a ways, and rubbed both hands through her hair. It felt so weird to be able to do that and she almost moaned again as her aching scalp welcomed the massage. She wondered what she looked like now, but at the same time, she really didn’t care.

As Kate returned, Emma quickly grabbed hold of the towel again and pulled it up around her chin.

Kate didn’t seem to notice for she merely grinned and held up what looked like a piece of light blue fabric.

“This came off of one of my teddy bears in my room. It’s about your size.” She walked forward and set the dress on the bed beside Emma. “Go ahead and try it on! I’ll give you some privacy.” And with that, she turned and left the room again.

Emma eyed the open doorway. She wasn’t sure why she was being so shy. After all, Kate had already seen her nude and had actually BATHED her.

Emma let go of the towel and crawled on hands and knees over to the strip of blue. She took hold of it and held it up to her shoulders. It was big but felt very comfortable. She quickly slipped it over her head and looked back down at herself.

The dress was sleeveless and very wide and long. It came down a little below her ankles and she knew she’d stumble if she had to walk around with it on. The neck opening was wide and she had to fight to keep the straps on her shoulders. Not to mention the sides of her breasts were visible through the wide armholes.

“You decent, sweetheart?”

Emma adjusted her new nightgown as best as she could and called out, shyly. “Uh huh.”

Kate rounded the corner and came through the door once more, her smile still present. “Aww. That color looks fabulous on you! I see it’s a bit big though, huh?”

Emma nodded and continued to clutch onto the shoulder straps on the dress.

“Well, I’m no seamstress but I could probably adjust it for you. It just needs some taking in.”

Emma flinched infinitesimally as the giant hands reached towards her, making Kate halt.

“Oh. I’m sorry.” She quickly lowered her hands. “I was just going to see how to adjust it. But that can wait until morning. I’m sure you’re still t-… Emma?”

Emma was so tired and stressed. Her emotions were still on a rocky roller coaster and she just wondered when she was going to be able to get off… and get back home. Tears fell quicker than she could wipe them away.

Kate was at a complete loss. She sat on the end of the bed looking helplessly at her little friend. She knew Emma had to be frightened and confused but she didn’t know what she could say or do to try and ease that. She tried anyway…

“Oh, Emma, I know you’re scared. I’m so sorry. I wish there was something I could do to… Look, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. I’m not going to turn you in and I won’t keep you here if you don’t want to be here. I can take you back to the park or… or wherever you want to go. Okay?”

Emma began to cry harder, collapsing onto the pillow she had been kneeling next to.

Kate wanted so desperately to reach out and scoop her up and caress her and kiss her and tell her everything was going to be okay but she held herself back.

“Do you want to be alone, dear? Would you like me to leave?”

Emma, who had been unresponsive before, nodded while she wept.

Kate knew not to feel hurt. Emma just needed some time and space.

“Okay, dear. My room is two doors down from here. I will leave both doors open so you can yell if you need me. Goodnight.”

She slowly stood up from the bed and leaned over, taking hold of the wet towel. Then she turned and walked back out of the room

Emma wept until there were no tears left. Then she hiccupped, sobbed well into the night until she finally passed out from exhaustion.

Kate tossed and turned in her bed, worry etched across her brow as she slept.