***

Since the "Schismatic Shift" in humanity, the presence of Gigants had changed the natural order. At some point during the twenty-second century, a new chemical crafted by MIT researchers had leaked into Massachusetts' public water supply. During the first few weeks, nothing changed; life went on as normal. The major shirt occurred about a month after the outbreak: as the chemical began to spread throughout the globe, billions of men began to witness an incredible reduction in size, some shrinking as small as 6 inches in height. By the time three months had past, the average height of the majority of the male population was about 3 inches.

The general public was terrified. Scientists from the most prestigious universities raced to find a cure to the epidemic, but to no avail. Like some of most infamous diseases, "nanoitis" (or NTS for short), as it eventually became known as, often transformed and adapted to the human body; thus, many vaccines and cures proved futile against its effects. Whereas women seemed to be immune to the effects of NTS, men suffered a great deal because of it. A year after the outbreak of NTS, the average height of the adult male was approximately 1.5 centimeter, which it has remained ever since. Many people tried to find natural ways to "beat" the virus (usually by avoiding water); however, as one may suspect, these efforts never proved to be successful. Even newborn infants were impacted by it; very rarely were boys born at a height larger than .5 millimeters.

After a few decades, like with many diseases, the global panic began to subside and society began to adapt to the new size of men. Communities were built for men to live in harmony; however, some opted to stay with their now gargantuan relatives.

Eventually, accommodations were made so that men could continue to co-habituate with women (whom were now known as Gigants).  Communities known as "Burrows" were built all around the globe. As with most commodities, the locations and conditions of Burrows depended upon one's class. The upper class usually either had private Burrows built inside their mansions or gated ones found in high-class hotels and fancy clubs. Some even created ones that looked and felt like their only miniature city (complete with skyscrapers, stores and streets). Conversely, the lower class Burrows were typically built in run-down buildings, sewers, or alleyways.

These Burrows were no stranger to controversy as it left many men susceptible to various predators like insects, birds, and rats. Two schools of thought began to evolve from this matter: The Gigants who believed that men should still be treated as equals, known as the Brobdingnagians (after the moral, kindhearted characters in Jonathan Swift's Gulliver Travels), and the Gigants who believed that men lost their humanity the moment they lost their height, known as the Amazonians (after the mythological race of warrior women who forbade men in their society). While some women remained neutral to the debate, most found themselves forced to chose one side or the other.

Of course, there were also radicals on each side: in the case of Amazonians (whereas most of them believed that an ultimate schism should be made between their world and that of men, intertwining only when necessary (e.g. mating)), most didn't believe that one should go out of one's way to harm men; However, the Titanide party were radicals whom believed men to be completely subhuman on par with bugs, and thus, wanted not a schism, but rather an enslavement of all males. Many were known to capture men and keep them as servants, and while this practice was frown upon by society, very rarely were the laws that forbade this enforced, or even in the cases of some U.S. states like North Carolina and Texas, even passed into legislature.

Believing that the murder of a man was the same as the murder of a bug, many of the Titanide argued that a man's death at the hands of a Gigant should not be punishable by law. Some of the Titanides, known as Laestrygonians (or Laes for short), took this school of thought to the next level by opening restaurants that served men in dishes. While many of these restaurants were illegal and considered unorthodox by the general public (even the Amazonians), they were still quite the prevalent issue in today's society. In fact, very rarely were Laestrygonians actually arrested for eating men. It was somewhat of a common belief that most women had, at one point in their lives (in some cases, by accident) devoured at least one man. Thus, usually the ones who were reprimanded under these laws were the ones who were known by many to eat large quantities of men (~2,000+). An estimated 23% of the leading causes of Gigants-related deaths of men were believed to have stemmed from the Laestrygonians.

In the case of Brobdingnagians, whom believed that men and Gigants should live in harmony together, the radicals in their doctrine took a stance that was actually somewhat similar to that of the Titanides. Dubbed "Nanophiliacs", these people believed that, while men were still indeed human, their rights should be placed in the hands of their Gigant counterparts. Nanophiliacs were infamous for capturing men and keeping them as pets and toys, allowing them very little freedom. This was also frowned upon by society.

***

Now, in the year 2175, life for women had seemingly changed for the better. Crime rates dropped dramatically over the past century (especially in terms of high class felonies such as murder and rape.) The vast majority of countries have converted to matriarchal societies, and, while a handful of men still held influential positions in society, women had quickly rose to the upper echelon and dominated the majority of successful positions (e.g. CEOs, doctors, politicians, etc.)

The world of athletics was no exception. Devon and Desmond Smalls had heard stories from their grandfather (who had, in turn, heard of them from his father) of what life used to be like in the pre-Schismatic Shift era. Stories were told of men towering over Gigants and dominating the world. They heard stories of the world spectating as men as tall as 7-feet-tall played sports like basketball, soccer, and football. But, as the size of men diminished over time, so did the relevancy of men athletics. Of course, organizations like the NBA and NFL still existed; however, it wasn't long before the world realized that men the size of pill bugs playing those sports tended to be a lot less…exciting to say the least. Meanwhile, watching women the size of metropolises play these same sports gave way to a whole new era of athletics (the amount of money the Gigant executives funneled to these organizations for marketing, stadiums, and the like also, of course, played a large role in the increasing popularity). According to their grandpa, whereas sport leagues like the WNBA used to be somewhat of a joke among men in the past, nowadays watching those games was like watching gods clash on a cosmic scale.

***

Standing a little shorter than the average, at 1.35 centimeters, Devon had always been a little intimidated by Gigants. Horror stories of the evils that Gigants were capable of were in no short-supply in the Burrows (especially regarding the radical Titanides, the cannibalistic Laestrygonians, or the "self-proclaiming saviors" known as the Nanophiles).

He and his brother, Desmond had grown up in a small, middle-lower class Burrow named Starstreet, located in a small alleyway in the city. While there was the occasional roach, mantis or crow, that would swoop in and attack the community, Starstreet was well-guarded by the local police force. It was built in a small alcove in the alleyway, so very rarely was it subject to an encounter with an unaware Gigant.

They were raised by their father and grandpa. Their mother, as they learned when they were in their teens, was an avid member of the Titanides. After falling in love with their father and giving birth to them (Devon first, and then, three years later, Desmond), she found herself conflicted with the strong love for her family and her devout stance on her beliefs. Unable to come to grips with herself, she disappeared one night, and was never heard from again. A week after the Gigant police officially declared her missing, their father, fearing that her Titanide mother and sisters would soon arrive to take over the studio apartment where she had lived, grabbed the boys and some of their belongings and fled across town to Starstreet. Since then, they have lived with their gramps in peace, with very minimal interaction with the Gigants.

Devon was never much of a sports fan in his teen years. Sure, he'd watch a soccer game on the tv here, play a pick-up game of basketball there; but he was never the type of guy who considered himself a "fan" per say. His passion was more oriented towards literature; specifically, he loved to read and write. When Dev turned eighteen, he decided that he wanted to go to UCH, or the University of Charlotte, to study literature. He knew that, though the school had a great educational program, it was also co-ed, which meant that he would need to confront his fears and general distrust of Gigants.

These feat was a lot easier than he initially thought; during freshman orientation and over the course of his first year at UCH, he made plenty of friends, including numerous Gigants. While he was far from being the most popular student on campus, he certainly felt that, by the end of his freshmen year, he knew about 5% of an overall class body of about 12,000 students.

Most of the Gigants he knew were very friendly and outgoing; even the ones who identified themselves as members of the Amazonian party tended to be surprisingly respectful to him and the other men. One Gigant in particular caught his eye: her name was Jess. She was about 5'8 in height, which, at his perspective was roughly the size of a skyscraper. She had light-brown skin and black hair that was fizzy and kept in a tiny ponytail. She had a long face, with a big smile, two bubbly eyes, and a small, bulbous nose. Every time she saw him, she would greet him by yelling, "Devie!" She then run up to him, usually oblivious to the other tinies running for cover, and pluck him into her arms for a hug that often caused his body to go numb (both figuratively and literally). While Dev, like most men, had enjoyed pornographic images of Gigants in the past, Jess was his first real crush. As such, usually when they spoke, he stuttered and spoke softly, promptly her to often reply in her signature loud-but-affable tone, "Repeat that? I couldn't hear you! Speak up!"

There's an old belief that a crush usually starts to fade after the third month. Dev felt that there was some truth to this mantra; as he hung out with Jess more, he started to become more cognizant of her flaws. She was very clumsy at times, often to his expense. Quite often, he found himself running away from her massive feet as she obliviously scanned the area for him. Another flaw was her regard for personal hygiene. As a member of the women basketball team, she was very often coated in sweat whenever he saw her. The worst days were the ones where he would agree to meet her in the student lounge of their dorm, and, having just returned after six hours of practice, she would plop onto the couch, completely oblivious of his tiny body struggling underneath her immense weight and the mesh short-clad butt of hers that was drenched in sweat as well. Usually, on those days, he'd stay trapped under her for hours as she watched a movie or check her Facesnap or Tweetagram profiles. Still, he was sad to learn early the following year that she had transferred, especially since he had decided, prior to arriving on campus, that he was finally asked her out on a date. Strangely though, despite Jess transferring, Dev considered, looking back, his sophomore year to actually be his greatest. That was the year he learned of his true life calling: Sport journalism.

***

Early that year, after he had watched one of the women basketball games, he had decided to write, out of shear boredom, a blog post on the UCH sports team.  The appearances of the courts had change very little over the years; the court floors were still wooden, the UCH Lionesses Logo was painted on the center of the court in the school colors (bright yellow and white), and the skylights rained down upon the entering crowd as if the heavens opened and released its magnificent radiance. The most striking differences were linked to the FOTW.  In order to accommodate the male fans, attached to the railing surrounding the upper section in the gym was a shuttle to the gym's Fly-On-The-Wall (or FOTW), a special, rectangular barrier made of plastic with a large window facing the court. As Dev entered the area, he was completely taken back by the atmosphere. Inside the "FOTW" was plush, dark cobalt carpet, state-of-the-art sitting, and the sweet scent of cotton candy and popcorn wafting from the concession counter. As he was waiting to be served, he noticed a sticker on the window stating that it was "shock-proof" glass. Shrugging off the implications of the message, he took his box of licorice and cup of water, and took a seat in the front row. He noticed that, out of the hundred seats available, he was one of three people who decided to sit in the front row.

"Man, I envy your courage.", he heard remarked from one of the students walking past him.

"Had to grab the best seats in the house." He replied in a slightly overconfident tone.

The kid chuckled and turned to him. "This is your first b-ball game, isn't it?"

Dev blushed a little. "Is it that obvious?", he joked.

The kid chuckled again and pointed to the side of his chair. There was a pair of headphones connected to the seating.

"You're gonna need those, bro." was the last thing he said as he shuffled up about 5 rows and found a seat near the aisle.

Dev placed the headphones around his neck. He wondered if he really was gonna need them. Just then, a sonorous horn thundered throughout the gymnasium. The loud blast was followed by roars of the Gigant fans seated in front of the container. Their shouts and cheers almost immediately deafened Dev, and their jumping on the stands shook the facility with the magnitude of an active volcano ready to erupt at any given second. He hastily placed the headphones over his ears, and emitted a sigh of relief as the noise was dumbed down to a more bearable level. He then turned to see that many of his fellow men were joining the insanity; luckily, their size did not cause him to go deaf or fear for the constitution of the FOTW.

Watching the titans play was much more exciting than Devon had anticipated. Watching something so big move so fast and jump so high was absolutely awe-inspiring. Even from where he sat, he could tell that the athletes towered over the Gigants he has been used to seeing. Not only that, but he was surprised to see that, despite the stereotypes of women ballers being ugly, that was not the case with most of his school's roster. Aside from the storm of sweat that coated the players and their intimidatingly competitive demeanor, Dev thought most of the players to be cute.

After the game ended, Dev found himself standing among the crowd of fans, cheering and stomping the ground with exuberance. It was that moment when he found himself in love with the sport: everything from the ambience to the players. After posting to his blog, he decided that he wanted to see more of the action. On a whim, the question, "Why not try journalism?" popped into his brain. He decided that it wouldn't hurt to try, and so the following semester, he signed up for a course in journalism 101. After taking the class with Dr. Lester, one of the college's best instructors, he was convinced that his heart belonged in the realm of journalism. However, he found himself hesitant to forgo his love for literature. Thus, he determined that the best choice for him would be to major in Sports Journalism and downgrade Literature to a minor. The rest is history.

***

Devon lied on his couch, staring at the messages app on his Samsung.

"No new messages." the screen read.

Devon sighed and pressed the top button on his smartphone, putting it to sleep. He then rose his head, glancing out his glass side-door. Dark-orange light coated the sky as the sunset fell upon the horizon. He turned on his phone again, wondering what time it was.

"6:06 pm."

He sighed again, straightening his body on the sofa. His leg, having fallen asleep, trembled as he attempted to readjust it.

He glanced at his phone again, fearing this time that Ariel forgot.

Forgot about their meeting. About their "arrangement".

"The basketball game began at 3:30 pm.", Devon thought, "Shouldn't it have ended by now?"

As Devon was growing impatient, he heard a knock on the front door. He sluggishly rose from the plush sofa and dragged his feet to the door. The person he was waiting for was not going to be using the front door, he thought to himself. He checked the peephole and confirmed his suspicions; it was Des standing with his signature blue and silver camera hanging from his neck. As Des rose his hand to knock again, Devon opened it and welcomed him inside.

"So, she ain't here yet?", Des asked.

"Trust me: when she gets here, you'll know.", Dev responded with a hint of irritation in his voice.

They sat on opposing ends of the sofa, checking their phones. Des texted Ariel, "Bro here. Where are you?"

Of all the players, Ariel tended to be the hardest to get in touch with; her phone was a model that was about nine-years-old. Many of her friends implored her to buy a new one, but she just didn't have the time or the money.

Devon sat on the sofa with his arms closed.

Desmond glanced at his sibling. "What wrong with you?", he inquired.

"Nothing…", Dev responded slightly exasperated, a pinch of frustration lurking in his tone. He sighed, then continued, "it's just…they are all like this, you know. I mean ALL of them…don't get me wrong, I'm not mad…it's just frustrating, you know…I hate it when other guys don't respect my time, but when they do it…I don't know…it's just not as condescending." He turned and saw that Des was nodding in agreement, his attention partially focused on what his brother was saying, partially on his phone.

Dev finished, "It's like they all don't see us as people. The only difference is that Amazonians aren't afraid to admit it."

Des snickered, "Bruh, you already know they gonna reply. It was a tough game against Meteor State. My friend says that when they were leaving the court, she overheard them talking bout how they couldn't wait to see ITSOG tonight."

Devon shuttered a little bit. He began to reflect upon the decisions he has made and the crazy path his career has taken.

***

 His career path had not taken the turn he'd initially hoped for during his time in school. He graduated with a 3.1 GPA; he later discovered that, in order to get a well-paying job as a sports journalist, one was going to need both connections and a stellar GPA. He had no connections and his GPA, while impressive to many, was still not quite enough to be competitive. Thus, upon graduation, he moved in with Desmond, whom had just finished his freshman year.

The two of them lived in a well-to-do Burrow called "Jack's Treehouse"; its rent was affordable, and it stood just downhill from the campus dormitories, making it a popular choice among the students.

Desmond, like Devon, was a good student hoping to start a career in sports journalism. He, however, lacked his brother's overall love for the game. What drew him to the field were the women.

Desmond was different from Devon in so many ways that it was common for them to hear someone ask, "Are you guys really related?" Unlike Devon, who looked mature, slim, and stood at 1.35 cm, Desmond had a baby-face, had a "big-boned" frame", and was a little taller than he was (standing at 1.4 cm). Also, unlike his brother's somewhat reserved personality, Desmond was much more outgoing, especially with Gigants. The ladies found his charm cute, and often, almost daily, he heard girls cry about how they would love to take him home and keep him. Lastly, whereas Devon did not particularly have a huge thing for Gigants, Des embraced his macrophilia (most men had no choice nowadays but to do so.) He, in particular, enjoyed the thought of a giantess dominating him, especially when she used her feet to do so. He was never outspoken about his fetish for sweaty socks and feet, but many of the Gigants he was close to knew about it; provided that he felt close to her, Des was always willing to give his Gigant friends a foot massage. This only made him all the more popular among the Gigant students.

Devon and Desmond, despite their differences in personality, turned out to make a great team. After a couple years full of job rejections and the mundane monotony of his part-time job in a local retail shop, Devon finally decided to start his own news reporting company. He named it, "In the Shoes of Giants", with the company's mission to reveal a day-in-the-life of random Gigants around campus. He hired Desmond initially as his cameraman (and only employee); however, all of that changed two months after they opened for business.

The first two months were quite unsuccessful. At first, the brothers had a handful of Gigants volunteer to do stories for them, but when it became evident that the stories were selling papers, the number of volunteers dwindled. One day, that all changed. Des was one day making a trek to Taco King to get some dinner, when he was suddenly confronted with a series of tremors. Being surrounded by Gigants, he originally thought nothing of it. It was when he heard a "Aww, look how cute he is!" that everything changed.

He got home late the next day, and told Devon nothing about where he had been. All he would tell was that ITSOG was in business, and that their luck was about to change tomorrow morning. Dev kept pressing him for details to no avail. Finally, that morning at 9:00 am, Des woke Devon up. "Get dressed; we're gonna be late, and if we're late, we don't get paid." Des said as he shook his brother. Dev, although still quite drowsy from his rude awakening, was admittedly puzzled and curious about the new, mysterious assignment. He got dressed, brushed his teeth, and together, they jogged out the door.

As they made their way to the exit of the Jack's Treehouse, they stopped and waited for the shuttle to arrive. As they waited, Des turned to his brother and said, "So, I figure, since we're now partners of in the Shoes of Giants, I'll fill you in."

"What?! What the fuck you talking bout?", Devon replied, perplexed.

"I'm your new partner now.", Des replied solemnly.

Devon shook his head, and as he was about to open his mouth, Desmond cut him off, "Here's the deal: I have great news, very good news, and, depending on how you look at it, either amazing news or horrible news. Depends on what your opinion."

Devon let him continue. He took a deep breath and explained, "So, yesterday, I was stopped by a couple of the basketball players. They were a couple of the newbies. GOD, were they huge!" He raised his right arm as high as he could and said, "I'm talking, like, if they wanted to get rid of this Burrow, all they have to do is send just one of them. Cute as fuck though. Both of them."

He saw Dev whirl his hand in the motion to signal "Get to the point", and continued his story, "So, last night, they had just played one of the best teams in the country. I think it was Allister College or something, doesn't matter." He leaned forward.

"What matters is that they lost, and of course, they were all pretty pissed about it. When they found me, they were headed over to one of their teammate's place for a little team kickback."

Des exhaled deeply and got to the point, " They were honestly about to kidnap me. I could feel it. The two girls I ran into were… well they were both in a crappy mood…but I figured, "fuck it, what's the harm?" He paused momentarily to see that Dev's face was turning red with rage, and then continued, "I went with them to the party…and it was actually pretty dope. Granted there were a few Amazonians there, a few Titanides…but overall, everyone just wanted to have a good time. I told them that you and I ran a little business called In the Shoes of Giants, and before I could explain what we do, one of the girls yelled, "Ohhhh, I've hear of y'all. Y'all are one of those portable masseuses." When she said that, every Gigant's face, and I mean EVERY ONE OF THEIR FACES, lit up, like I told that they had all won an all-expense-paid trip to Paris. Even the Titanides were acting more friendly. They were all clamoring about how sore their feet were and how they could really use a massage…"

Devon began to say, "But, you said we weren-"

Des interrupted, "Yeah, yeah, I said we weren't…"

As Devon began to relax, he heard, "but here's the thing: right when they all started falling back into their bad moods, I said, "Wait now, you guys let me finish; we're more than that. You see, our mission to show the world the day-in-the-life of a Gigant athlete."

"No…no, it's not."

"Shut-up and let me finish. I said that, and then I told them that we get athletes to interview with us…in return for favors."

Devon's eyebrow rose. "What kind of favors?"

"I said that we would love to get a one-on-one with each of you guys; just name your price. I turned to the girl who initially brought up the footrubs. A humongous cutie named Kourtney Powers."

Devon recalled what Kourtney Powers looked like. He recalled that she was a 6'1 dark ebony Gigant with long, flowing black hair and a pearl-white smile that lit up a room.

"The funny thing is, even though she's a Titanide, you wouldn't know it by the way she acts. She's really goofy and down-to-earth. She had me dying when I was rubbing her left foot."

"…Why'd you rub her feet?", Devon asked slowly, afraid that he knew where this was going.

"Because she agreed to give us an interview after practice today.", Des stated matter-of-factly.

Devon rolled his eyes.

"You think…that a Gigant…nay, a Titanide…is gonna keep her word…especially when, as you noticed, she's not the kind of person who takes things seriously?"

Des looked into his brother's eyes and said, "Look. You and I know damn well that we haven't made a dime since we founded this company. Now, when we finally catch a break, you're telling me that you're not willing to take a risk to make a profit?! Here's the deal: best case scenario is she does the interview, no strings attached. Worst case: she played us, which is also fine. After I rubbed her left foot, I had almost the whole team lining up begging to be next. Unfortunately, it was getting late, so I had to cut my time short. But, I promised them that we'd stop by after practice. I know you didn't want people to think of our business that way…but it’s the only way we can make this work."

Devon bowed his head and rubbed his forehead. A reluctant "Alright, not like we have any other options" murmured from his lips. Then, something popped into his head.

"Was that all the news? Sounded like you have three things to say.", he inquired.

Just then, blocking the sunrise stood an immense, godlike figure in the distance.

Des quickly spoke, "Oh yeah."

The figure started to move towards Jack's Treehouse. Its steps shook the very foundation of the Burrow.

"Let's see…", Des said to himself, trying to remember the key points in his persuasive speech.

Booms quaked throughout the Burrow. People stared to scream and panic. The shockwaves rocked the brothers off their feet.

As the giantess approached, Des finally remembered what he was gonna point out.

"Great news is the head coach was at the party. She's a great person; I have no doubt you're gonna love her. She said that, as long as this stuff stays off the books, we'll be fine."

The giantess' shadow began to loom over the Burrow and beyond.

"Good news is we'll be getting not only courtside sitting on game day, but also exclusive interviews with the players and maybe even some of the coachs."

The two penultimate quakes signifying to the inhabitants that their new god had arrived was the strongest, knocking nearly every man in the Burrow on his ass and trembling every building. Dead silence swept throughout the Burrow. Only two noises broke the quiet. One was stemming from the fabric of the giantess' mesh shorts leg as it rose. The men inside the Burrow wanted to collectively scream, yet none did. All of them froze in terror, as they feared that today, this August morning, was going to be their last day before transcending into the afterlife.

The other sound that broke the stillness was Des' answer to the last portion of Devon's question.

"The news that you're probably gonna be wishy-washy on is this. Since the name of our company is In the Shoes of Giants…"

Just as those words escaped Desmond's vocal cords, the entire ground between jolted violently. A dust cloud swept through the street, and proceeded to coat the entire Burrow in ash and debris. A few moments past, the thunderous howls of laughter shook the young men. Her words, though sing-songy and childish in tune, sent shivers down Devon's spine. The giantess was singing, "I'm gonna get my footrub! I'm gonna get my footrub!"

As the dust cleared, the inhabitants began to notice a distinct, thick…odor. The smell of corn chips and malted vinegar enveloped the community. As the men began to collectively retch and cough from the pungency and the humidity, the echoed laughter grew louder, sending even more tremors throughout the community.

Desmond covered his nose. "Damn, I knew it was gonna be bad…but not this bad."

As he made that remark, a monstrosity that seemed to be the source of the smell descended upon them. It tapped against the granite streets, the magnitude bulldozing the brothers over and sending them flying back a few meters.

"Yo Des! I'm ready!", the voice rained down from above. It was low-pitched, yet feminine, and had a hint of a southern accent. The Gigant was easily the largest Devon had ever seen in his life. Her immensity and nonchalance was horrifying to him; yet, he could not help but feel some ounce of calm and tranquility as her strikingly beautiful brown eyes and pearl-white teeth gleaming down upon him. Her body was slender and fit, perfectly snug in her white and yellow jersey. Extending from her mesh shorts were two shaven, toned pillars, each wearing an old, ripe gym sock covering her muscular calves. On her left foot, a colossal pink Nike was still fitted; the other foot was just wearing the sock, resting upon an entire street block, the ground gradually sinking from the giant's weight. Her toes wriggled in the thick yellowish-white cotton fabric, as if ecstatically waiting for the arrival of fresh prey. It continued crushing any debris (and men) whom were unfortunate enough to find themselves under the goddess' monolithic foot.

As Devon gulped, Desmond scratched his head. Dev's eyes widened, tears running down his cheeks. He was hoping…nay, praying to God or whatever celestial being in charge of the cosmos to please, please not confirm what he so desperately feared his brother roped them into. His prayers were answered. Rejected, but answered; as the giantess looked down at the two tiny morsels standing by her feet, she grinned and knelt down, her weight crushing even more of the Burrow's remains.

 "So, I left out the fact that…um…last night…I only rubbed her left foot…and…"

Devon placed his finger over Desmond's mouth. As Kourtney lowered her redwood-like fingers towards them, whispering, "Oh Des!", he knew where their fate was headed. He wanted to flee, but she could easily catch him.

He felt her soft fingers as she gently lifted them off the ground. He wanted to yell at his brother for taking his dream and turning it into a punchline, but he couldn't. Part of him truly believed that, deep down, this really was the only way he could become a successful journalist. She lifted them over to the funnel that was her Nike. The beads of sweat Devon saw on her forehead, along with the intense humidity and cheesy stench of the discarded sneaker immediately gave it away: she had just come from practice.

As he was being lowered into the cavern, he heard, "Now, my five-minute break's bout to run out, so I'm gonna have to jog back to the gym."

As the men reached the floor, they noticed that the sole of the shoe was matted. The atmosphere was like the humidity of the rainforest combined with the stench of a locker room. Underneath them, inside a faded white circle, the number "13" was transcribed. As their new prison began to rock and the light from the opening was replaced by the white behemoth, Dev heard the giantess laughed, "Remember, a deal's a deal. I better feel them rubs and kisses under my toesies. If you guys do that, I'll do your dumb little interview."

As she finished, the white fibers in the toe area of her sock captured the brothers and dragged them to the end.

Not only did the sock increase the smell tenfold, but the sweat and thick fabric of the sock held Devon in place.

Once she felt the two mites under her foot, one under the sole and the other in the crevice next to her big toe, Kourtney smiled contently at her newest companions. The brothers felt the sock pushed harder against as Kourtney tied her shoelaces and began jogging towards the gymnasium.

Thus, marked the true beginning of the ITSOG…

The microwave timer buzzed. Devon opened it, and spooned the heated leftovers onto two marble plates, carefully placing silverware on each. He then opened the fridge and removed two bottles of Angry Red IPA. He handed Desmond a plate and one of the bottles. As the two picked up their silverware and began to eat the food, Devon inquired, "Hear anything back from Ariel yet?"

"Not yet.”, replied Desmond, "She's probably busy tonight."

A silence pierced the room for a few moments before Devon nodded and stated, "I like her."

"Yeah, she's a nice girl. A little awkward though to be honest...but kind.", Des replied.

Devon finished chewing the food in his mouth before continuing.

"She's like the only one on the team that doesn't want to kill us.", he stated.

Des looked at his brother and emitted a weary sigh.

"I've told you a billion times; none of the girls try to kill us.", he said slightly agitated.

"I believe you…they might not try to kill us," he replied, "…but they still want to. Shantel does."

"No she doesn't."

"April and Beanstalk do."

"No they don't."

"Kea does."

Des paused for a moment as he heard that name, and then snickered, "No, she only wants to kill me...but that's a long story. She likes you."

Devon shook his head. "Kourtney definitely does."

Des placed his fork and knife back on the plate and rubbed his forehead as if he had caught a sudden, vicious migraine.

"No, she doesn't.", he said. He then turned towards his brother and looked him in the eyes. "Do you really think that?", he asked.

Devon looked at his brother in bewilderment.

"Remember the time she destroyed our home and put us in her shoe.", Dev said with a hint of frustration in his tone. "Remember when she took a pic of us stuck to her sock and posted it online…and even after all that, she didn't even give us a fucking interview…Said that we didn't keep our end of the bargain."

Dev took a deep breath and shook his head before he went back to eating his food.

Desmond was still staring at him. "You don't really believe she hates you, do you?", he whispered.

Devon continued eating.

"I know, I know. She's a Titanide and all…but she doesn't hate you Dev."

Devon took a sip from his bottle.

"Everybody knows she kinda likes you, Dev…like, really likes you."

He glanced at Desmond with a sarcastic look, then continued eating.

Des smiled and said, "I'm serious…call me crazy, but I think you should consider asking her out."

Devon spat out his food in shock as he heard that suggestion, almost like this was a scene from some cliché comedy. As he turned towards his brother, preparing to implore that he get his head checked after making such an insane statement, Desmond's phone rang. The caller ID listed "Lemuria Davis".

"It's the coach.", Des said, as he immediately got up and ran out to the patio to take the call.

Devon dreaded the reason why she was calling. The Lionesses was scheduled to play against their archrival, Meteor State. Their current season so far had been 12-0; thus, the team was determined to keep that streak alive, especially against the MTSU Panthers.

Goosebumps crawled down Devon's spine. Chances are, the coach was calling them, wondering why they were not at the game. Since ITSOG's "official" debut, Devon's love for the game had quickly been replaced with fear and paranoia. He and his brother had been present at all twelve games so far this season and each provided a…unique experience into the world of Gigant Basketball.

When Desmond finished the call and returned to the living room, a solemn look overcame his previously bright smile. He exhaled deeply and began to explain the nature of the phone call.

"So…that was Coach…she was not happy that we chose to skip today…but she's not pissed."

Devon gulped. "Did they lose?", he asked, fearing what the consequences would be if the answer was yes. The team have come to refer to ITSOG as their "good-luck charms", attributing their amazing win streak and improved morale to the brothers' “services”. He knew that he was taking a big risk not showing up at the game, but yesterday's practice had really exhausted him and Des. Thus, he figured, as long as he met with one of the players tonight (preferably someone like Ariel, who preferred not to take advantage of tinies, and thus, would just do the interview no strings attached), everything would be fine.

"No, they crushed MTSU. 97-4. April and Beanstalk were the MVPs tonight.", Des stated in a slightly weary tone. "She wants us to go meet them tonight."

"But…doesn't April live at Olympus and… and Beanstalk live…"

Des cut him off, "She wants me to go to Beanstalk's place…and she said that Kourney will pick you up and take you to April's."

Devon's eyebrow rose. "She…wants us to split up…and do two separate interviews?"

Des shook his head. "Yeah, she said that plenty of photos were taken during the game and that the girls had just finished the interviews with the official news reporters. She then said that if we want to put a little post on our blog, we'll have to earn it…as usual. She told me that Beanstalk and April scored the most, so they’re the ones who deserve the most R&R."

He took his plate and Dev's, and dumped them into the sink.

"She also informed me that, as our punishment, she advised the girls to stay in their uniforms for our "meeting". Gonna be honest, brother: it's about to be a long night."

Devon's face held a sour look. Ever since his initial encounter with Kourtney Powers, he had despised ITSOG's arrangement with the basketball team.

***

After Kourtney had destroyed their Burrow, a bittersweet realization for the young 21-year-old who was currently being smothered between the thick, fragrant cotton of her gym sock and the rough, matted surface of her Nike sneaker. The gym, Des figured, was situated on the east side of campus, a 1hr30min shuttle ride for men coming from Jack's Treehouse. On the one hand, being that Kourtney was a Gigant (a Gigant that stands at 6'1 no less), she will probably reach it a lot faster on foot than they would've on the shuttle. "Assuming that she ran over there", he thought to himself, "she'd probably reach the gym in about 15-20 mins."

Judging by the constant pressure from her foot, he guessed that, most likely, he was currently stuck directly underneath the ball of her foot. In this area, while he could smell her cheesy foot scent, the major issue that plagued him rather was the weight of her steps upon his tiny figure. While the soft, moist fibers of the white sock cushioned the load, Des still did not enjoy the inability to move or adjust his body. Each time she raised her foot, the young lad rose with it, sticking to the sock’s sweat like adhesive; each time she slammed her foot down, his back bruised as it hit the sole. The pain was sharp yet fleeting; as he'd hit the matted fibers of the sole, he'd then feel the plushy fibers of the sock acted as cushion for the pain. As he endured this experience, he only feared how Devon was doing in the toe section.

The toe section of Kourtney's shoe provided Dev with a vastly different experience than the one his brother was enduring. Lodged snuggly between her big toe and her long toe, Dev was enveloped by the thick musk. All of her long, arduous days at basketball practice fused with all of the competitive tenacity and ferocity she exhibited on the court during her games ultimately coalesced into this swampy environment. This environment engulfed Dev into a thrashing of all five of his senses. He could not inhale the air without smelling the prevalent pungence of Limburger and old corn chips. He could not inhale it without allowing the taste of that same aroma into his mouth, assaulting his taste buds with the salty, sour sweat-flavored sock cotton, dust, and dead skin.  He could see nothing. Nothing but worn white cotton, with yellowed and grayed smudges surrounding and blurring his vision. He tried to hear auditory cues to signify how far they were away from the gym, and how much longer he had to bear this Hell, but the sounds of rumbling as her titanic feet collided with the Earth beneath filled his ears. As strange as it was, despite the offensive smell of her foot, the sour taste of her sweat, the sight of the dirtied fibers, and the sounds of her sheer enormity looming over him, Devon felt…comfortable. Like he was trapped in a container filled to the brim with pillows. Soft, smelly pillows…but pillows nonetheless. Occasionally, Kourtney would scrunch her socked toes. To Dev, the scrunching of her toes felt like two fuzzy elephantine blankets coming together, sandwiching him in between its plush fibers. He couldn’t help himself; he kissed the surrounding, monolithic mounds that were Kourtney’s toes. At his size, he was not sure how much she would feel; however, he did note how curious it was that, every once in a while, as he kissed her toes, he felt her toes wiggle gleefully, and he could’ve swore that he heard a slight giggle from above. As much as he hated to admit it, even though the environment itself was hellish, this feeling alone was…pure bliss.

***

Kourtney took her time returning to the gymnasium. She knew that Coach Lemuria, while wanting her to participate in the usual drills, was prepared to show her leniency today. Lemuria herself was an Amazonian, and thus, no stranger to using tinies on a regular basis as insoles. Having heard this morning from the players that there were two boys who wanted to volunteer themselves as such, in return for some material to post on their blog, Lemuria couldn't help but let a wide grin creep up her puffy cheeks. She figured that, not only would this help improve morale among the players, but also could help the coaches unwind after a long day as well. Thus, her mind was made, and she sent out Kourtney to give the boys a "test run". She knew that, if a Titanide like her would approve of the boys, then surely the rest of the team would too. She originally thought about dispatching one of the larger Titanides on the team like Kea or Shatel, but fearing that their immensity (even in socks) might end up being too much for the young volunteers, she decided that sending Kourtney would be the right move.

"Don't take too long, but definitely feel them out.", Lemuria instructed her player in her dominant yet kind voice, "They might feel funny under your foot for the first time, and most of the time they do, but what I want to know are two things. Number one: "How durable were they?" and number two: "Did they pamper you?" These two things are key."

Kourtney chuckled, "It's like you think this the first time I stepped on a tiny before."

Lemuria looked at her and replied, "See…there's a difference between stepping on one and using one as an insole…a huge difference. Plus, it's also important that they are willing insoles, and not those ones you buy that low-key don't want to be ones and are just doing it because they got caught or they're trying to make a quick buck or…"

She stopped herself. She knew that Kourtney was ready; it was three years since she first signed her to join the UCH Lionesses, and since then, Kourtney, like the rest of the players, had become somewhat of a daughter to her. Lemuria knew that, of all the Titanides on the team, Kourtney was probably going to be the toughest on the boys.

***

Kourtney reached the base of the stairs to the gym as she checked her phone. "10:04 am"

She sighed and gazed upon the massive structure standing before her. With a more traditional Greek ambience in mind, the school board built the exterior of the gym with marble, bricks and cement. The result was a magnificent structure reminiscent of the ancient Greek temples. Like those temples, the Haixia Stadium (named after the legendary UCH alumnus Haixia Zheng) was believed to be a temple of its own kind where swarms of mortals came to worship supreme deities of unfathomable power. 

Kourtney remembered looking at the coliseum as a little girl, hoping that some day, she would get the chance to play and be revered as one of its legends. Now, 14 years later, here she was: a starting guard for a team that went undefeated in the league last year, and almost took home the gold but was stopped abruptly in their tracks by the best school in the country, the legendary Sea Coast State.

Kourtney exhaled deeply, and took a seat on the steps leading up to the gym.

***

Des and Dev suddenly felt as if the dimension that had trapped them was being torn open by the deity that reigned over it. They were greeted by the bright light of the sun and a fresh, pine breeze that carried itself from the nearby trees to filled their lungs.

As the brothers were both enjoying the sweet, succulent taste of freedom, an earthshattering laughter pierced the heavens above. Just then, a blinding flash ambushed them, followed by a loud, quick snapping noise. As their eyes readjusted from the sudden assault of brightness, they saw a phone as large as their Burrow street block held at their eye level. Showing on the screen was a large white sock, fibers intertwining each other and riddled with white and gray lint bulbs. In the middle of the photo laid two miniscule figures, one at the center and one at the top. The one in the center was faced towards the material, and despite its size, any viewer of the photo could tell that he looked badly beaten. The other figure was in a much more pristine condition (relatively speaking); he was faced outward towards the camera, his eyes squinted and his mouth twisted. If one were to look closely at his face, one could see, stemming from his mouth, a large white string of cotton, a souvenir of his experience with the giantess.

"Aww, y'all didn't smile.", Kourtney whined, "Gonna have to count that against y’all in my evaluation, I'm afraid."

She carefully plucked the two boys off of her sock and dropped them onto her lap.

"So…", she said, "Coach L asked me to evaluate y'all's little business…what’s it called again?", she asked, tapping her right temple, feigning like she was pondering a serious question. “Oh yeah…In the Shoes of Giants.” As she was talking, the guys could tell her attention was focused on her phone.

"Y'all each get a B in Durability; I'll be honest: I was hella tired from practice, so when I picked y'all up, I wasn’t as rough with you as I was originally planning to. That being said, I still gotta give credit where it's due. I’ve seem tinies twice your sizes die from a lot less than a smelly sock and an old sneaker. You guys held on and survived. That's an accomplishment right there."

As she was about to continue, she heard a squeal from Dev. "What's that?!", she exclaimed with irritable impatience.

"Please don't tell me you're gonna share that pic of us?", he replied louder, already knowing the answer to his question before it even left his mouth.

Kourtney burst out laughing at the question, and then continued where she had left off, as if her laugher answered his inquiry perfectly. "Now, in terms of pampering, that's where shit hits the fan.", she said in a solemn tone.

She nudged Desmond with her pointer finger. "You. You get an F. If you were rubbin' and kissin', I wasn't feelin' it.", she remarked in a slightly sassy tone.

"So, what's that average to? A 'D+'? A 'C-'?"

"Wait!", Dev intervened.

Both Kourtney and Des stared at him. Kourtney looked at him with contempt, Des with exhaustion and shame.

"He rubbed your feet yesterday too.", he stated in his brother's defense.

"Correction: he rubbed my left foot yesterday.", Kourtney replied in a sarcastic, contemptuous tone, "he still owns one to my right foot."

"I know…but…"

"But nothing.", she said as she shrugged, "Now, about you."

With that, she reached for Dev, and pinched him between her thumb and pointer. She lifted him up to her nostrils and took a deep whiff. Dev grasped her thumbprint and held on tightly, trying to avoid the seemingly bottomless vacuum that was Kourtney’s nose. Some of her foot stench still lingered on his skin and in his clothes. She yanked her head back, her mouth twisting with disgust. "You definitely need a shower.", she remarked. As Dev looked down, he suddenly felt her fingers drawing closer to her pink lips. Each of the monumental, rosy pink lips were as thick as he was tall. Tears flooded his eyes. He struggled as hard as he could, and screamed, "PLEASE DON'T EAT ME!" She pushed her lips up against his body with a force that was both hard and gentle at the same time. Like the downpour of a recent storm, her saliva soaked and drenched him, leaking into every last one of his crevices. The softness of her lips caressed every inch of his body. The smuckering sound pierced his eardrums, and afterwards, he saw that her lips formed a smile. He looked up at her eyes, and saw that one of them winked at him.

"Alright…", she said, placing Dev and Des into her left palm while she used her right hand to put her sneaker back on, "I think we've wasted enough time. Time to introduce y'all to the coach."

Dev stood with his mouth agape. He then turned to his brother slowly. Des, who had previously looked worn and tired from the trip here, now exhibited a look of glee and joy. He gleamed a deviant smile towards his brother. "Shut up.", Dev murmured.

"Don't say anything.", Des chuckled.

They felt the sudden gravitational shift as her colossal body stood up. Even from the perspective from her hand, Kourtney still vastly towered over the young men. The familiar booms returned as she made her way to the gym's entrance. Dev couldn't help but stare up at her. Her dark mocha skin contrasted the radiant sunlight perfectly. Her long, fizzy black hair fell from side to side in a motion that was almost hypnotic. Each time her eyes wandered down to the contents of her hands, they twinkled as she saw him. Her bright smile, which had only an hour ago signified doom, now signified something entirely different to him.

As Kourtney opened the door, she couldn't stop thinking about how lucky she was today; throughout her life, she had trodden over many tinies. However, never before, had one shown as much…exuberance under her feet as Dev did. Dev may not have known it right now, she thought, but he was now hers.

Throughout centuries, societies have told fairy tales and myths of giants. In those stories, they are often regarded as towering, monstrous behemoths who loom over villages, crushing anything that stands in their path. Most Gigants despised this traditional stereotype of giants; however, Beanstalk was not one of them.

Charnise Taylor, or "Beanstalk", had acquired by the end of her sophomore year of UCH an infamy of sorts. She had earned her epithet not only from the fact that she stayed at Beanstalk Hall, one of the two Gigant dormitories on campus, but also from the resemblance of her demeanor to that of the giant from the classic tale, "Jack and the Beanstalk". Based on the posts on her social media sites, one would assume that she was kind-hearted, sweet, and bubbly. However, anyone who had the misfortune of meeting her in person knew that it was (for the most part, at least) a façade. In person, she often exhibited a cold and ruthless demeanor towards men. Standing at an imposing 6'2 with a plump, muscular frame, Charnise's appearance bore a striking resemblance to the traditional perceptions of what a giantess looked like. Oddly enough, despite her intimidating demeanor, she was (at least, in Desmond's eyes) not ugly; She bore bulbous, brown eyes and round, chubby cheeks. Her smile was large and bright smile with a subtle gap between her two front teeth. Her skin had a dark complexion, and she wore her long black hair in braided dreadlocks.

In Desmond's opinion, Charnise's relentless attitude and behavior towards him and his brother was always a bit off-putting considering her cute, homely look. Thus, when the head coach ordered that he trek to Charnise's dorm and pamper her, he feel a heavy sense of dread overcome his body.

He straddled his bike and sighed deeply. He turned over to Devon, who was sitting on the front steps to their new duplex. Lemuria had treated them well for their work. After hearing of the incident at Jack's Treehouse, she hooked them up with two individual apartments at Gulliver, a middle-class Burrow located on the southern border of campus, just a few yards (or miles, from the men's perspective) from Jack's Treehouse, or rather, what remained of it. Gulliver was much more upscale than Jack's and much more secure from threats; it was gated and UCH hired Gigant security guards to watch over it and protect from predators.

While they were happy to receive the upgrade, they, along with the majority of the male student body, were hoping to see the school board reprimand Kourtney for the carnage she had caused. When the news broke that she had received suspension from one game, people were both outraged and not surprised. She was, after all, a major player on the basketball team; it was somewhat of a miracle that she received any punishment.

Since the school was, for the most part, run by Gigants, and a stunning 77% of the student and faculty female population identifying themselves as members of the Amazonian party, campus unrest quickly died down and the hope for change evaporated. "All-in-all, this was the best possible outcome.”, Des thought to himself.

"You better get going.", said Devon gazing upward at the bright crimson sky, "it's about to get dark out here."

Desmond turned to Dev and replied wearily, "Yeah."

"Please don't try to bike back here tonight. Just crash at...”

Devon was about to suggest he stay at Charnise’s, but quickly stopped himself. “…. David doesn’t live too far from Beanstalk Hall. Give him a call when you’re done over there."

He hoped that Des wasn't planning to stay late at Beanstalk Hall. Doing so seemed to be just as risky as trekking outside at night. Their friend, Dave, stayed at a small Burrow next door to the dorm. It wasn't the most secure place in the world, but it was still the superior option, compared to spending the night at Beanstalk Hall or riding back here.

"Don't worry," Des said with a smile on his face, "I'm be fine." With that, he lifted the kickstand and took off.

***

Beanstalk Hall was about 20 feet away from Gulliver; however, from Des' perspective, it was more like a few miles away. Though the smart move would have been to call the shuttle and have it drop him off at BH, Des' impatient personality had gotten the best of him. He rode his bike as quickly as he could, hoping to beat the sunlight and thereby avoid the dangers of nighttime predators that lurked in the area.

By the time he reached his destination, it was pitch-black outside. He heard the owls hoot and the crickets chirp as he stood at the base of stairs leading up to Beanstalk Hall. BH was one of the two Gigant only dorms on campus, the other being Olympus. Both towered over all who stood before them. In the case of Beanstalk Hall though, there was a special gravity associated with the dorm's presence. Being the cheaper, lower-quality option of the two, BH was feared by many students as being the "Belly of the Beast". From the outside, one could hear the chaotic ambience that lurked from within. Inside its halls, Gigants stomped, laughed, and blasted music at full volume as they partied.

Des chained his bike to the special bike rack for men bikes, which sat next to a colossal steel structure for the Gigants' bikes. He found the ladder that was attached to the foot of the stairs and began to climb. "I'm gonna be so late.", he thought to himself as he scaled the elephantine brick stairs. Like Jack as he climbed the Beanstalk to the giant's castle, Des felt an odd sense of adventure as he climbed the stairs to the dorm. When he finally reached the top, he checked the time on his phone. "7:56 pm"

"Now comes the hard part.", he thought. He lost Charnise's number and now he needed to find a way inside. As he put his phone back into his pocket, he saw a skinny, punk Gigant, with purple hair and a longboard the size of a mountain range, coming up the stairs. As her worn flip flop landed next to Des, he ran to the shoe's platform and dug his fingers deep into the material. The student pulled her ID out of her back pocket and a sonorous "Beep" rang through Des' ears as the front door was unlocked. The sandal rose into the air with the velocity of a plane taking off. Des held on as hard as he could as she walked into the dorm, slamming her left foot down each time with enough force to crush a building.

He dismounted from her foot once she reached the elevator. He waved his arms and yelled for her attention. As the girl pushed the button labeled '2', she noticed the tiny speck by her flop. She scrunched down and held her hand to her ear. Very faintly, the voice yelled, "3rd floor please." She extended her hand and said tenderly, "Climb on, I take you."

"Tonight's already been confirmed to be shitty considering I have to deal with Charnise.", Des thought for a moment, "Not like I have anything else to lose."

He climbed onto her hand and she stood back up to her full height. She stayed on the elevator when it reached her floor. When it reached the 3rd floor, she asked Des what the room number was. "304.", he replied. She nodded and walked down the left corridor, eying the numbers on each door. Finally, at the end of the hallway, they found it. As she rose her hand to knock, he stopped her.

"Today's my girlfriend's birthday.", Des lied, his tone tranquil and collected, "She's doesn't know I just flew in to surprise her."

The girl leered at him with a suspecting look, as if her intuition was advising her to not trust him. Then, as if that same conscience right at that moment reminded her how little she should care about this random stranger, she lowered him to the floor and waved good-bye. "If he was some random perv, he'll probably end up getting crushed anyway.", she rationalized to herself.

Des took a deep breath. He didn't want the girl to hand him over to Beanstalk, especially if it turned out that Beanstalk was in a bad mood. He'd much rather sneak in and gauge how she was feeling before he made his presence known. With that in mind, he walked under the door into the giant's lair.

***

As he walked inside, the deep, pungent odor of vinegar and corn chips immediately assaulted his nostrils. There, sitting next to the door, stood two colossal, dark-blue Nike high-tops. One stood upright while the other was turned on its side. From that one, the smell wafted towards Des, foreshadowing the experience he was about to endure with Beanstalk. The dimly-lit room was very spacious, even by Gigant standards. Two dressers were pushed up against the rigid plaster walls. A 42-inch television sat on top amid bottles of lotion and make-up. On the opposite side sat a black mini-fridge, a wooden desk, and a twin size bed set next to the window. In the middle of the room, on an olive green, plateau-sized sofa, sat the giantess herself, still adorn in her sweaty team gear.

"I know the coach to her not to change…but damn…it smells like she didn’t even shower.", Des whispered to himself. Charnise sat languidly on her couch, her feet sprawled out on top of her gray rug. She was still wearing her team's yellow and white jersey, sweat stains surrounding the armpit and neck areas. She was also wearing her yellow mesh shorts, with black leggings.

He walked closer to her, fighting his way through the raggedy, blue fibers of her rug, many of which were the size of sunflower stalks compared to him (some even larger). As Des approached her and wrestle among the dense fibers of her rug, the swampy atmosphere grew more humid and odorous. Her filthy crew socks were armored with a pair of pink fuzzy slippers. Judging by their worn, holey condition, their short length in relation to her soles, and how tightly snug they hugged her feet, Des concluded that she seemed to have outgrown these slippers a long time ago.

The mere scale between Charnise and Des sent a shiver down his spine. Even at his full height, the sole of the slipper still towered over him by a solid 10 feet, and its width could easily engulf a city block (or possibly even two.)

Her eyes were drooping, and sitting in her lap was a paper plate with a half-eaten slice of pizza. On the television, reruns of the popular reality show, "Love and Gigants", were playing with the volume on low.

"She's falling asleep", Desmond realized.

As he turned towards the door, a wide smile parted his cheeks. “Whelp, I tried.”, he chuckled as he shrugged his shoulders, “Time to head hom- “

“DESMOND!”

The enormous boom that erupted behind him nearly deafened the tiny speck. His knees started to quiver, and his breathing began to quicken. As he was regaining control of his senses, the sound of creaking furniture echoed behind him and the once-stationary feet began to hover above the ragged carpet, administering powerful shockwaves as they landed next to him. Des fell to his ass and struggled to get up as the giantess leaned over her knees, her wide, signature grin gleaming down upon him.

“H-hey b-b-boo…”, Des stuttered as he tried his hardest to regain his calm, “…s-sorry, I’m l-late…I…I h-had a thing earlier…”

“A THING?”, Beanstalk boomed, her Deep Southern drawl emitting a hint of suspicion.

Des gulped. “Y-yeah…you see… w-with work and stuff, I- “

“IT’S 10:30 DES…”, she replied impatiently. As she tapped her right foot, the shockwaves repeatedly propelled Des’ body off the ground as if he were jumping on a trampoline. She giggled as he bounced up and down; Charnise always took enjoyment over the extent of her power. Many men (and even a few Gigants) were intimidated by her imposing nature. Witnessing how even light taps from her foot rumbled her prey’s entire world gave her a sense of absolute godhood.

Des also felt this way; at this moment in time, Charnise held complete and utter dominion over his insignificant existence. It was as if he had been summoned before a monolith, ebony goddess, who was now in the process of judging whether he deserved to live or die.

Finally, Beanstalk stopped with the tapping; instead, she just stared at him, waiting to see what he was planning to do. Des took a deep breath and regained his posture. He then begrudgingly walked over to her left foot. As he got to the base of the slipper, he grasped the edge and began to scale it.

“WAIT!”

The boom alone catapulted him off the slipper. He turned to look at Beanstalk, who was lifting her right foot onto her left knee. As she removed her slipper, she murmured, “I have a better idea…”

With complete indifference, she unceremoniously dropped the slipper next to Des. From his perspective, the goddess’ first trial had just begun. The titanic, fuzzy monstrosity was falling towards him at an almost imperceptible speed. Screaming at the top of his lungs, Desmond ran as fast as his chubby legs could take him. As the gigantic monolith was about to land, he hurled himself with every ounce of strength in his body. The Earth shuddered with undeniable fury as the fuzzy meteor landed. As Des started to relax, another meteor landed within his vicinity. As he was regaining his balance, Beanstalk lower her head and parted her lips. 

“Choose.”

A questionable expression took over Des’ face momentarily before it hit him. To his left sat an elephantine slipper and to his right sat a white, mammoth mound, both of which waiting for its prey to enter its chamber.

Des palmed his forehead and furrowed his brows. “Fuck, you can’t be serious Charni- “

“You were late and now you have to make up for it.”, she replied in a matter-of-fact tone. Bits of moist sedan-sized lint rained from above as she giddily wiggled her long, slender toes. Since that morning, they had been imprisoned in her socks, forced to work, jump and maneuver as Beanstalk went through her daily routine as well as tonight’s intense game against Meteor State. As sweat dripped from the crevices of her toes, Charnise’s plump, leathery digits wiggled in glee as their prize for their hard work was about to choose his medium for punishment: either spend the evening trapped between them in her sock or underneath them in her slipper.

“B-but…it’s…I mean…”

Des tried to find the right words, but he knew that the giantess had already made her decision; now he just had to make his.