Barleycorn Beauty

By Pixis

Once, in a time of legend, a barren woman who desired a child begged the help of an enchantress. She was granted a magic barleycorn from which grew a beautiful flower. And within its petals was a tiny girl, scarcely as big as a thumb.

That was many centuries past. But the secret of the barleycorn was preserved by the enchantress and her descendants. Though rare and wondrous, other barleycorn beauties have been born throughout the ages to seek their destiny in a very big world.

This is one such story.

Chapter 1

Wilhelmina Smallwood grasped the feather tightly in her hands. Singing softly to herself and dancing with her makeshift broom, she swept the table surface and pushed the dust into a neat little pile. Nearby sat the towering figure of her mother, Eulalia, in her customary gingham dress and red kerchief. She had a look of pensive worry on her face and a metal strongbox resting on her lap. Eulalia clucked her tongue in dismay as she peered inside. The drought had made for a poor harvest and the farm’s funds were nearly depleted.

As she counted the money one more time, a cloud of dust rose from the tabletop. Eulalia wrinkled her nose and tried to hold it back but soon let loose a violent sneeze. Like a gale force wind, the powerful blast lifted Wilhelmina and her feather from the table and sent her tumbling through the air. She landed roughly on her rump and nearly slid over the edge. With a gasp, Eulalia reached out to catch her two-inch-tall daughter before she could fall.

“I’m sorry, darlin’,” she said, scooping the tiny girl into the palm of her hand.

“That’s all right, Mama. Occupational hazard,” said Wilhelmina. She sat down on the soft platform of skin and began to smooth out the wrinkles of her apron and her lovely purple dress (Eulalia was quite adept at sewing doll clothes for her minute progeny). 

“How much do we have left?” Wilhelmina asked.

Eulalia frowned. She was a hardy frontier woman, not prone to showing emotion. But the situation was dire. “T’ain’t much, I won’t lie to ya. There ain’t enough to pay the farmhands any longer. I’ll have to work the land alone if I want to make good on my claim.”

Eulalia had claimed her little farm in Dakota Territory under the Homestead Act of 1862. She’d gotten it at minimal cost, only the promise that she would reside there for five years, build a home, and significantly improve the land. But with a drought and a harsh summer killing her crops, debts mounting up, and the last of her savings nearly gone, Eulalia was unsure if she could show the government any improvements. If she failed, the deed to the farm might go to another homesteader who could prove they’d do better.

“You won’t be alone, Mama,” Wilhelmina insisted. The minuscule brunette grasped her mother’s thumb to steady herself and stood up in the hollow of her hand. “You’ll have me!”

The larger woman gave a heavy sigh. Air escaping from her lips rustled her teensy daughter’s dress and sent her long brown hair dancing. The girl gripped the huge thumb tighter to keep from being blown away like a leaf. 

“Ya can’t help me, Mina,” Eulalia told her. “You’re much too small to work a plow or carry a spade. Ya can’t lift more than a few grains of wheat. And ya certainly can’t tend the animals. The chickens would peck ya to death and a cow might gobble ya up in a patch of grass.”

“Then I’ll get us more money so you can keep the hired hands,” declared Mina. She smirked as a thought occurred to her. “Maybe I should find a rich husband.”

“Heh. Wouldn’t that be somethin’?” her mother chuckled. “But I don’t think many fellas would go for a pocket-sized bride, sweetie.”

“No, I suppose not,” Mina said sadly. She hung her head and contemplated the lines in her mother’s hand. After a moment, she looked up again. “I’ll make the money myself then. It’s about time I earned my keep. I’m eighteen now, a woman grown.”

Eulalia shot her daughter an incredulous look. “Not grown very much,” she said. “And I think it’s clear by now that ya ain’t gettin’ any bigger.”

Mina pouted and put her hands on her tiny hips. “I was over two inches the last time you measured me.”

“You was standin’ on tiptoes. And that ain’t the point!” Eulalia exclaimed. “Who’s gonna hire a gal the size of a grasshopper? Jobs out here is limited for women, even full-sized ones.”

“I could be a teacher,” said Mina. “Size doesn’t matter if you can use your brain.”

“No child would respect a schoolmarm smaller than their thumb. They’d walk all over ya. Literally. Imagine if some brat don’t like the lesson and decides to just squish the teacher!”

“I could…tend bar in the saloon,” the girl suggested.

“How ya gonna pour whiskey from a bottle the size of a building? And, heaven help us, what if ya fell into some rumpot’s drink and he swallowed ya up?!”

Mina tried to think. “There must be something I could do. Aren’t there ladies that work in the town?”

“The only other working girls out here are in the whorehouses. And no daughter of mine is gonna debase herself like that!” Eulalia shuddered at the thought. The mental image of Mina in such a place was horrific. Her daughter held on tight to her thumb as a tremor passed through the hand below her.

“Lordamighty, what was I thinkin’ bringin’ ya here?” Eulalia cried. “The west ain’t no place for a wee slip of a thing like you.”

In her heart, Eulalia knew why she had brought Mina there. It was the same reason she’d sought the help of that old medicine woman to have a child in the first place. It was clear by now that she’d have no offspring of her own. The good Lord had not seen fit to give her that ability. What was more, her parents and siblings were dead and all her potential suitors had rejected her over the years. This tiny miracle girl hatched from a barleycorn was the only family she had.

Still, it was a harsh life she had consigned them both to. Keeping the little lady safe and out of trouble was a daily stress. Whatever magic had given Mina life had made her stronger and more durable than her size would indicate. But she wasn’t invincible. And truth be told, the girl was a bit on the clumsy side.

Mina let go of the thumb and began to pace back and forth in the giant palm. “Surely, I could help somehow, Mama. Maybe I could—eeep!”

In her distracted state, the miniature maiden had lost her footing and stepped right off the side of Eulalia’s hand. Her mother extended her other hand quickly to catch her.

“Look at ya, Mina!” snapped Eulalia. “I so much as breathe on ya wrong and ya tumble over! You’re always underfoot or fallin’ from high places! For God’s sake, child, last week I nearly ate ya alive when ya fell into my porridge!”

Mina looked up from where she lay and gave a dismissive wave of her little hand. “Oh, you wouldn’t have really—”

“I would have!” her mother barked, years of frustration finally finding their release. “If I hadn’t felt ya wigglin’ on my tongue, I could have swallowed ya whole in a single gulp! You were a few seconds away from takin’ up residence in here!” Eulalia slapped her large, round belly a few times, sending a shiver through the diminutive girl.

“Face reality, darlin’! You’re completely helpless! There’s nothin’ ya can do to save this farm. Ya can barely take care of yourself!”

She lowered her hand and let her stunned and trembling daughter disembark onto the tabletop once more.

“Just…stay out of the way and let me handle this. I’ll get us outta this mess. Somehow.”

* * * *

That night, Mina tossed and turned in the hollowed-out walnut shell that served as her bed. Her mother was right about her. She was helpless. She was useless. She was nothing but a burden. Perhaps Eulalia would be better off without her.

No, she thought, kicking off the fluff of cotton she used as a blanket. There had to be a way she could help. If she could somehow get the money they needed, they could hire back the farmhands. They could pay their debts. They could get new tools and farming equipment. They could save their homestead!

Mina climbed out of the walnut shell and crept across the bedside table. In the distance, she could see the gargantuan bed and the gently rolling landscape of Eulalia’s body, wrapped snugly under the covers. The giant woman’s mighty snores reverberated in Mina’s chest. While her mother slept, the thumb-sized girl lowered herself into the top drawer of the table, which was thankfully open a crack. 

Fumbling in the darkness, she gathered a few of her little dresses and other doll clothing. She slipped these into a scrap of handkerchief, tied it up, and slung it over her shoulder. Next, she located a slip of paper and a pen that was taller than she was. With difficulty, she hoisted these back up onto the table. Gripping the pen in both hands like a spear, she left her mother a note (writing in the largest letters she could manage):

OFF TO SEEK MY FORTUNE. I WILL SAVE FARM AND MAKE YOU PROUD.

-MINA

She was about to descend the miniature rope ladder to the floor when she glanced back at Eulalia. God alone knew when they would see each other again. Or if. It was a big scary world out there and anything could happen. Overcome with emotion, Mina felt the sudden desire to kiss her goodbye. It was a risk (Eulalia would stop her from leaving if she awoke) but Mina didn’t care.

Sitting down on the edge of the table, the girl scooted forward and dropped carefully down onto the pillow. Her feet sank into the plush surface and she nearly fell over. Mina thrust out her arms to maintain her balance. As quietly as possible, she approached the gigantic shape of Eulalia’s head, struggling through a tangled bracket of loose brown hair. The snores were near deafening now and Mina had to cover her ears. She stood before the wall of her mother’s cheek and planted a tiny kiss on it. Eulalia muttered softly in her sleep and began to roll over.

Mina stumbled backwards quickly as the huge face started to turn. A wide expanse of cheek pressed into the pillow where she had previously stood. Now Eulalia’s enormous lips were facing towards her. In this sideways position, they were taller than Mina was. The colossal mouth opened wide as Eulalia continued to snore. Mina found herself staring into a vast, dark cave lined by teeth the size of boulders. The sudden intake of breath tugged at her garments and threatened to sweep her off her feet and into that daunting cavern.

Mina jumped back in fright. It wouldn’t do for her to get inhaled before her journey had even begun. Eulalia might wake up or, worse, unconsciously swallow her in her sleep! Mina shuddered as she remembered the incident with the porridge.

The snore concluded with a quick exhalation of breath that pushed Mina off the edge of the pillow and onto the bed. She landed on her back with a plop and lay sprawled there for a moment. Eulalia did not stir any further. The tiny girl stood back up and silently cursed herself for being so reckless. Eulalia had warned her of the dangers of sleeping giants.

Mina walked to the side of the bed and grabbed hold of the sheet, sliding skillfully down it to the floor. She slipped under the bedroom door, scurried through the house, and out to the stables.

The horses neighed and snorted restlessly but she navigated her way carefully between their hooves. In an alcove of the back wall, she found Swiftpaws, her beloved pet field mouse. She had tamed him several years ago and often rode him about the farm and the house (much to her mother’s chagrin. Eulalia couldn’t abide rodents. Ironic that fate had gifted her with a daughter that resembled one).

Mina rubbed the mouse’s head as he playfully nuzzled her and twitched his whiskers. The girl fitted him with the tiny saddle and reins she’d made and climbed onto the animal’s back.

“Ride like the wind, Swifty,” she whispered in his ear. The little gray mouse was off like a shot, skittering into the night.

To be continued...

Chapter 2

“Everything’s so…big!”

Mina could only stare at the vast bustling town around her. She and Swiftpaws had ridden all night through the farmlands, avoiding owls and other night predators as they made their way towards the closest settlement. It was near dawn when they had finally arrived but they’d snatched a few hours of sleep in a half-empty, discarded can of beans on the side of the road. Now the sun was up and the miniature girl had a better view of her destination.

Mina had seen the town now and then when she rode in her mother’s pocket to the general store. But it was one thing to view it in safety from the level of Eulalia’s hip and quite another to be down at ground level.

The buildings towered beyond anything she had ever seen, great colossal edifices of wood that seemed to stretch up into the sky. Horses clopped through the streets on hooves that were larger than Mina and her mousy “steed” combined. Wagons rolled past like mighty juggernauts, leaving canyon-like grooves in the road. And everywhere, there were people. Towering, monstrous people as big as mountains. She saw cowboys and ranchers in tall Stetson hats with deadly sharp spurs on their boots. She saw elegant women in long frilly dresses that blotted out the sun as they swept past. There were even several children (huge but slightly less daunting mountains) playing a game of kick-the-can.

Wait…that couldn’t be good.

A boot suddenly crashed into the bean can with devastating force, sending it rolling down the street. Mina and Swiftpaws tumbled over each other again and again, both squeaking in alarm. At last, they came to rest, landing in a heap. They could feel the tremors of the approaching youngsters chasing after them.

“We’ve got to find better shelter, Swifty!” 

Mina hopped onto the mouse’s back and grabbed the reins, guiding him out of the can and towards the closest building. They weaved their way between huge clomping feet that came within inches of crushing them. Massive brown boots and high-buckled women’s shoes fell to earth left and right, kicking up dirt and mud. They finally darted under a water trough near one of the gargantuan structures. Mina took a cautious step back so she could read the sign above the door. It might as well have been in the clouds but she could just make it out.

“Goldie’s Mine: Dance Hall and Public House.” 

A dance hall! That was perfect. Mina loved to dance. She’d often danced atop the table for her mother. Surely, she could do the same here. Maybe they’d give her a job.

Entering through the two swinging doors in the front looked hazardous. People were constantly coming and going from the building. Mina feared she’d be crushed underfoot. Instead, she led Swiftpaws around the side, looking for another way in. Like any good mouse, Swifty located a hole in the siding and was soon leading his mistress into the hall’s inner workings.

Mina left her loyal steed in the tunnel behind the wall, munching happily on some corn kernels from her pack. The miniature maid decided to climb up through a knot in the floorboards and look around.

She found herself in an enormous room adorned with a long white table, several wiry metal chairs, and a wall decorated with mirrors. The light of an oil lamp flickered overhead. Here and there were piles of clothing, makeup kits, perfume bottles, and costume pieces. As Mina explored, she realized this must be the dancers’ dressing room.

Almost as soon as the thought crossed her mind, she felt the ground begin to tremble. The door burst open and several gigantic women bustled in, clad in tight corsets, skimpy dresses of silk and lace, and tall feathery headdresses. Mina stared up at them in awe. They were easily two hundred feet tall (at least from her perspective). Their slender, shapely legs stretched into the heavens and the immense proportions of their figures made her jaw drop. Eulalia was the only human she had regular contact with and the sturdy, middle-aged lady was nothing like the beautiful, curvaceous creatures that now towered over her.

These women were stunning. They were also coming straight for her.

Mina tried to run but the giantesses were upon her in an instant. Humongous feet in tall-heeled black shoes slammed into the wooden floor all around her. Their quaking footsteps caused the girl to stumble and fall to her knees. Most of these deadly shapes moved on, tromping past or sailing precariously overhead. But as a shadow blotted out the light, Mina looked up to see a giant foot descending towards her. The little woman shrieked and covered her head with her hands. It was a futile gesture for she was certain she was about to be squashed like a bug.

The ground shook violently once again but Mina realized she was still in one piece. She looked up hesitantly and saw a dark black ceiling that extended into a thin column on one side and a huge mass on the other. Mina was crouched in the gap below the woman’s high heel. She thanked God or whatever power had saved her and quickly scurried away.

High above, she could hear the giant women talking and gossiping in their booming voices. Most of them had seated themselves at the table to retouch their makeup. While their focus was elsewhere, Mina made a beeline for the closest shelter and buried herself in a pile of discarded clothing.

“Tough crowd today,” one of the dancers observed. “Not even noon and most of them are already drunk!”

“Did ya see Curly Pete try to get handsy with me?” asked another. “I slapped him silly. He knows the rules. No touchin’ during the performance!”

“Not without payin’ first, right, honey?”

“Damn straight.”

“Aw hell, I have a costume change before the next number,” a third voice said. “What’d I do with those stockings?”

The ground began to tremble and shake once more and Mina was dimly aware of a looming shape above the pile of clothes she had burrowed into. Suddenly, the floor lurched below her, sending her tumbling backwards. As the woman lifted a garment from the pile, Mina felt herself falling down a long narrow tunnel. The material of the walls was thin and she could almost see through it to the world outside. The little lady finally came to rest at the bottom of the tunnel, landing in a hammock of fabric that left her body curled into an awkward position. 

The light was blocked above her as something else slid into the tunnel. Mina gasped as she saw a huge five-headed monstrosity descending towards her. With sudden clarity, she recognized it as a gigantic bare foot coming closer and closer. Mina shielded herself impotently as the enormous toes barreled into her.

Luckily, she wasn’t crushed. The woman had her leg lifted as she was sliding the stocking onto it and her little stowaway was suspended with it in midair. Mina found herself caught between the big and second toe (each larger than her entire body). The toes flexed and wiggled slightly, squeezing the tiny girl in a bear hug. Mina winced and tried to free her arms. She had to get to higher ground before the foot returned to the floor or she’d never survive.

With a bit of effort, she wiggled her way up between the toes and pulled herself onto the top of the foot. It wasn’t a moment too soon. The massive appendage dropped suddenly, causing Mina’s stomach to lurch. She held on tight as the foot crashed onto the floor with tremendous force, rattling her bones. Mina clung to the joint of a toe in fear as the woman shook her foot.

“Hmm. I think there’s a pebble or something in my tights,” she said.

“Don’t worry about it,” another dancer insisted. “You’re on in five and you still need to fix your makeup.”

The little maiden continued to hold on as her hostess walked back to the table. The journey was an alternating mix of quick ascents and powerful crashes as the foot stepped down. Mina bounced atop the giant instep each time, hitting her head on the ceiling of fabric above. A few times, she almost slipped back down between the toes but she managed to keep her perch. 

The giantess took a seat in front of a mirror. She propped her feet up on the table, causing Mina’s world to rise with startling swiftness. She was lifted so fast, it made her light-headed.

“I’ve got plenty of time,” the woman announced. “Diamonda’s onstage and she always hogs the spotlight. Probably won’t leave ‘til they give her a standin’ ovation.”

With the foot now pointed upward, Mina began to slide down the instep. She instinctively grabbed hold of the fabric above to stop her fall. It was then that she saw her salvation—a run in the stocking! Mina reached a tiny hand into the small tear in the material and began to pull. Soon there was a hole big enough for her to fit through. She wriggled out of this like a worm and tumbled off the woman’s ankle onto the tabletop. 

Moments later, the foot slid off the edge, taking Mina’s hopes of escape with it. This table had no convenient rope ladder that could get her back to the floor. She was trapped.

Now Mina was out in the open and could be spotted. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to be found by these intimidating giants just yet. Massive hands swept overhead, snatching lipstick, rouge, and perfume atomizers from the collection of items around her. Seeking cover, Mina scurried behind a large pink powderpuff and crouched low.

She dared to peer around the fluffy wall at her former hostess. The woman was truly breathtaking. High above, Mina saw a beautiful freckled face with sharp, high cheekbones, piercing green eyes, and full blushing lips. Framing the face was a long, luxurious mane of red hair that tumbled down over her smooth bare shoulders. Mina’s gaze continued downwards and she could only gasp. The lady’s bosom was positively gargantuan, like a pair of enormous hills. The tight emerald corset could barely contain it and Mina saw yards of creamy, pink flesh spilling out of the top.

Granted, every part of the human form was massive to Mina. Even so, she had never seen such an astonishing figure. The tiny girl looked down at her own modest curves in disappointment. Her minuscule chest would be dwarfed by this goddess’s fingertip.

The redheaded colossus had been busy reapplying her lipstick. Now she cast this aside and reached for some foundation to powder her face with. Before Mina could get away, giant tree trunk fingers wrapped around the powderpuff and encircled the tiny girl with it. A barrier of flesh and bone pressed into her back, pushing her into the soft powdery mass before her. The woman lifted the puffball into the air and dabbed it lightly against her cheeks. Mina clung desperately to the fuzzy object for a fall from this height would be fatal.

Finally, she felt the giant hand begin to descend. Mina hoped she could sneak away without being noticed and find a better hiding spot. But it wasn’t the table that she was being lowered towards. The woman was now dabbing the powderpuff over the top of her chest to match the flesh tone of her face. As the puffball tilted downwards, Mina felt herself slipping. She slid along the wet, powdery item and slipped right out of the lady’s fingers.

Below, Mina saw the gigantic pink hills of the giantess’s chest. She was now in freefall towards them. With a little bounce, she landed on the soft pliant surface of the woman’s left breast. The fleshy “ground” below her curved downward in a dramatic angle, causing her to slide. Her momentum carried her towards an immense canyon of cleavage, formed by the constricting fit of the lady’s corset. Mina didn’t even have time to scream before she slid into this chasm. The tiny girl was swallowed up completely, slipping down through the narrow gap between those mountainous breasts.

The redhead had been startled when she felt something strike her chest. “Huh? What was that?” 

She peered down her corset, trying to locate the offending object. But there wasn’t time. Already she could hear the thunderous applause of the audience. Diamonda’s song was over.

“Sapphire!” someone called. “You’re on! Get onstage quick!” 

The woman slipped on her shoes and hurried out the dressing room door. As she rushed down the hallway, her pulchritudinous chest jiggled with each step. Sapphire had always been a rather busty gal so she was used to this. The two-inch-tall prisoner in her bosom was not however. Mina was jostled about roughly, sliding deeper and deeper each time the colossal curves shifted.

She finally reached the bottom, landing on the silky fabric of Sapphire’s bodice. The movement had momentarily ceased, though the walls were still pressing inward around her. All Mina could hear was the soft, steady rhythm of Sapphire’s heartbeat. Bruised and dazed, the tiny girl peered upward through the peach-colored tunnel above. The light seemed very far away and she wondered if she could even climb out of such a smooth, slippery chasm. Going back up looked impossible but perhaps she could wriggle to the front of the bodice and out from between those hills.

It soon proved to be a moot point for a tinkly piano was playing and the quakes began anew. Sapphire was dancing.

If the run down the hall had been unpleasant, this was simply torturous. Sapphire kicked her legs up and waved her frilly skirt about as she began her act. She shook her torso provocatively, showing off her generous assets to the audience. Deep within her bosom, Mina was thrown violently back and forth, ricocheting off vast walls of flesh. Whenever those monumental mammaries slammed together, Mina was squeezed half to death and had the wind knocked out of her. Her whole body was vibrating from the resonance of Sapphire’s voice as she sang along to the music. Mina knew she had to get out of there before those colossal orbs crushed her in their embrace.

The little lady squirmed with all her strength, pulling herself forward with handfuls of material. With a pop, she freed herself from the death grip of Sapphire’s breasts and slipped through the bottom of the bodice. Mina was again in freefall, though the tightness of the corset created a very narrow chute. The tiny girl bounced back and forth between the fabric and the woman’s abdomen, sliding ever downward. Mina reached out her hands in desperation and found purchase on a huge navel. She hung there suspended in front of the smooth, gigantic belly. Powerful muscles rippled below the skin as the giantess danced and Mina could hear the soft gurgle of the enormous stomach within.

She dared not go further “south” or she’d emerge in a rather private area that she would just as soon avoid. Sapphire’s upper body had nearly killed her. Mina dreaded what could happen to her in the nether regions. What then? Hang there like a belly ring until the dance was done? She could already feel her fingers beginning to loosen as Sapphire’s stomach undulated wildly.

Carefully, Mina twisted around and grabbed the inside of the corset. She transferred herself onto the garment itself, releasing the belly button at last. Everything was still shaking and moving around her but at least she could maintain a better grip here.

When the song finished, the audience whooped and hollered and stamped their feet. Sapphire blew them a kiss and did a demure little curtsy. Inside the corset, Mina held on tight as the woman’s body suddenly dipped. She could feel the rhythmic vibrations of footsteps as Sapphire left the stage and returned to the dressing room. Mina bobbed lightly against the huge expanse of tummy but at least the trip was less rocky this time.

Slightly more relaxed, she concentrated on finding a way out. The crisscrossing strings that tied up the corset would make a nice ladder for her. That is if she could escape without being noticed. She had to try. Mina lifted a dainty hand and took hold of the string above her, pulling herself upward.

The climb was simple until she approached the overhanging cliff of that prodigious chest. The path of the strings went straight up the center, leading her in between those mountains once more. This was dangerous territory but at least the giant woman seemed to be standing still for the moment. Mina took a deep breath and pressed onward.

“Great show, Saph!” a fellow dancer called.

“Thanks, Opal,” said the redhead.

“It was…passable,” another woman added. “I got the bigger applause of course.”

“You wish, Diamonda,” Opal chided. “Right, Saph? Saph?”

Distractedly, Sapphire was fumbling with her clothes and staring intently down her top.

“What’s wrong?”

“I think a fly went down my dress,” Sapphire explained. “I felt something in there earlier, wigglin’ around. It was botherin’ me through the whole song!” She slipped a couple fingers into her décolletage and felt around experimentally.

Opal watched her curiously. “You mean it went down between your—? Ha! You must’ve given it quite a ride! Lucky little bug. I know a few fellers who’d love to trade places with it!”

“Maybe it’s a louse,” said Diamonda. “You’re probably infested with them.”

“Shut up, Di,” Sapphire spat back.

The redhead reached deeper into her corset. By now her whole hand had practically disappeared into her sizeable bosom.

“Where are ya, ya pesky little—aha!” she cried at last. Her fingers brushed against a tiny wriggling thing. She considered simply squishing it but didn’t want to get bug guts all over her outfit. Sapphire gripped the miniature stowaway tight with her thumb and index finger and pulled it out. Her hand emerged from her bodice and lifted to the level of her face. The woman’s eyes grew wide as saucers when she saw the little creature struggling between her fingers.

“What in the Sam Hill?!”

To be continued...

Chapter 3

Mina squirmed helplessly in the grasp of giant fingers. The pads of those meaty digits were pinched tightly around her waist, leaving her legs to dangle loosely in the air. Filling most of the horizon were the lovely features and cascading red hair of her captor. Pretty, green eyes larger than Mina’s head stared straight at her. A mouth that could consume her in one bite was hanging agape in shock.

In her peripheral vision, Mina saw several other large faces crowding closer. Her eyes darted back and forth nervously, spying a raven-haired brunette and a blonde with curly locks so pale, they were almost white. Both were dressed in silk, lace, and sequins and were as wide-eyed as the redhead.

“Wh-what is it?” asked the dark-haired giantess. “Some kind of doll?”

“Don’t be an idiot, Opal,” said the blonde. “Look how it’s moving. It’s clearly alive.”

“Is it a bug?”

“It’s wearing a dress!”

“But Diamonda, what else could it be?” Opal rasped in awe. “Is it…a fairy or a pixie or something?”

“You’re such a child,” Diamonda scoffed. “There’s no such thing.”

“Well, whaddaya call this then?!” demanded Opal, pointing a column-like finger at Mina. The long-nailed fingertip stopped a mere few inches from her face. Mina shrank backward in fright.

“Aww, I scared it!” Opal cooed. “Sorry, little tiny lady!”

“It has to be some kind of freak of nature,” Diamonda reasoned. “Probably escaped from a circus. Careful, Sapphire, it might be diseased!”

The redhead, Sapphire, hadn’t spoken since Mina’s discovery. At last, she brought the miniature girl closer, never breaking her intense stare.

“What are you?” she whispered in awe.

Mina swallowed hard and returned the giant woman’s gaze. “I... I’m Wilhelmina,” she said dumbly.

“Holy tap-dancin’ Jesus!” Opal gasped. “It talks!”

“Yes, I talk,” said Mina. “I’m a person, really I am!”

“Why are you so small?” Sapphire asked, her wide brows knitting in confusion.

“I was born this way.”

“Told ya it was a freak,” said Diamonda.

“Hush,” Sapphire hissed. “Let her speak.” Gently, she lifted her other hand palm upward and set the thumb-sized maiden inside it. Mina sat down and hugged her knees tightly, trying not to tremble.

“It’s okay, sweet pea,” the redhead said. She rubbed a huge finger softly down Mina’s back. “We ain’t gonna hurt ya. Now, how’d ya get like this?”

Mina took a deep breath and looked up at the ginger giantess. “I… Look, this is going to sound crazy but I was born inside a flower that grew from a magic barley seed.”

“Bullshit,” said Diamonda. “I’ll bet you don’t want us to take you back to whatever freak show you ran away from.”

“Di, I swear I’m gonna sock ya one!” Sapphire snarled through her teeth. She composed herself and returned her attention to Mina. “I’ve never heard of a magic seed before but let’s say I believe ya. That still don’t explain why you was crawlin’ around on my naughty bits.”

Nearby, Opal tried and failed to suppress a snorting laugh.

“Oh my gosh, I am really sorry about that! Everything happened so fast!” Mina said. Her tiny chirpy voice started talking a mile a minute. “I was trying to hide and I ended up in your stocking but then you scooped me up and I fell and, good golly, your bosoms are enormous and I thought I was going to die in there but then—”

“Hey, hey, relax,” Sapphire called out. She continued to stroke the diminutive girl’s back until Mina gradually calmed down. “I ain’t mad. I just don’t expect to find tiny people between my tits. Nobody else is down there, are they?”

She tugged at the neckline of her corset and peered inside. “Hello in there! Anybody home? If you’re building a summer house, we have to negotiate the rent first.”

Mina giggled. “Nope, it’s just me.”

“That’s a relief,” said Sapphire. “Ya wouldn’t wanna live there anyway.” She cupped one of her substantial breasts with her free hand and jiggled it. “Too many earthquakes.”

A shadow fell over Mina and she looked up to see Opal’s gigantic face descending towards her. The brunette leaned in closer to Sapphire’s hand until her nose bumped into the tiny girl’s stomach. Mina squeaked and fell over backwards.

“I still can’t believe that you’re real!” Opal cried. The miniature woman covered her ears in sudden pain, prompting Opal to drop her voice to a whisper. “Oops. Sorry. But seriously, have ya been livin’ in the walls all this time, doin’ us mischief? When the milk goes sour or I can’t find my earrings or Diamonda stubs her toe, is that your doin’?”

“For God’s sake, Opal,” Diamonda shouted. “It’s not a damn fairy!”

“She’s not an ‘it’ either. Show some respect,” said Sapphire. Diamonda simply rolled her eyes. “And Opal, step back a bit. You’re frightenin’ the poor gal.”

Sapphire extended a finger which Mina grabbed hold of to pull herself back up. 

“Thanks,” the miniature maid said. “No, I wasn’t living in the walls. Actually, I sort of came here for, um…a job? I’d like to be a dancer.”

The ladies stared at her for a moment. All at once, Diamonda and Opal burst into riotous laughter. Even Sapphire arched her eyebrows in surprise.

“Then you’ll want to talk to me,” a dulcet voice called. Mina spun around and peered over the side of the giant fingers. Standing in the doorway was a tall, older woman with hair the color of spun gold. Her tresses were tied up beneath a stylish black hat tilted at a playful angle. The woman wore a long, elegant golden dress with a plunging neckline. The ample bust within gave even Sapphire a run for her money. Mina blinked in astonishment for the bodice, sleeves, and waistline of the dress were dotted with sparkling gemstones.

Several other dancers were crowding behind the woman, trying to peer into the dressing room. But the elder lady wouldn’t allow them to pass.

“Miss Goldie,” said Sapphire, nodding her head. “How long was ya standin’ there?”

“Long enough to see an opportunity,” said Goldie Sweetwater, the dance hall’s proprietor. She glided into the room and reached out a gloved hand, palm upward. “Give her here, Saph.”

Sapphire cupped a hand over Mina and drew her closer to her chest. “Ya ain’t gonna hurt her, are ya?”

“On the contrary,” Goldie declared. “I think we can find this little lady a position here.”

Diamonda and Opal looked at each other bewildered. Still a bit uncertain, Sapphire scooped Mina up gently and deposited her in Goldie’s hand.

The new giant woman peered down at Mina slyly with half-lidded eyes, watching her like an empress on high. “What’s your name, my wee nugget?”

“M-Mina. Well, Wilhelmina Smallwood actually, ma’am,” the tiny girl said. She curtsied sweetly, trying not to slip and fall on the black satin glove.

“Smallwood,” Goldie repeated with a smirk. “How simply adorable. I understand you want to be a dancer?”

“Oh yes, ma’am! I love to dance. I dance for my Mama all the time.”

“Indeed?” said Goldie. “Is your mama a precious little nugget like yourself?”

“Oh no, ma’am! She’s big. Like you. Uh, not that I’m calling you BIG, exactly. Not in a bad way. Everyone’s big compared to me, you see, and—”

“You realize of course that if you danced on my stage, the audience would have trouble seeing you,” Goldie continued. “And you’d risk being stepped on by one of my girls.”

“I thought about that,” Mina said. “I was thinking I could dance on the tabletops. Give the customers an intimate show, up close and personal-like, you know?”

“I do,” Goldie agreed. “I had much the same thought. And I daresay that people would come from miles around to see the smallest dancer in the West. Nay, the smallest dancer in the world! You could be famous, Mina. You’d put Goldie’s Mine on the map.”

“You really think so?”

“Certainly. Of course, you’ll have to audition first. I need to be sure the world’s smallest dancer has some talent. Why don’t you show me what you can do? Go on, my lovely.”

Mina blinked up at her. “N-now? Right here? In your, um, hand?”

“Why not?” asked Goldie. “Think of it as a private stage. Mind the edge though, dear. I wouldn’t want you to fall. Go on, Mina. I’ll sing you a ditty. ‘Buffalo gals, won’t you come out tonight, won’t you come out tonight’…”

As the song began, Mina frantically tried to remember one of her routines. She grabbed the hem of her dress and kicked her legs up. Waving her hands and swaying her tiny hips, she danced up and down the length of Goldie’s palm. It was hard to keep her footing on the smooth satin but she did her best. While she did so, the other giantesses crowded closer, watching curiously. 

For her big finish, Mina dropped down to her knees and slid forward with her hands up in the air. But she had stopped a bit too close to the base of Goldie’s palm. The satin shifted beneath her and she slipped right over the edge of the woman’s wrist. With a high-pitched shriek, Mina slid down the length of a giant arm, finally coming to rest in the crook of Goldie’s elbow. She hugged the soft skin tightly, trying not to fall off.

“Wonderful! Simply marvelous!” the older woman exclaimed. She reached down and plucked the girl off her perch, returning her to her gloved hand.

“Thank you,” Mina said. “The ending was a little rough but—”

“Not at all! It was quite amusing. Imagine using someone’s entire person as your dance floor! Such possibilities…”

Mina wasn’t certain what to make of this idea. She looked up at Goldie skeptically but the woman’s enthusiasm seemed genuine.

“You’re hired, my little gem. Shall we shake on it?” Goldie offered a dainty pinky which Mina took with both hands and shook vigorously.

“Oh, thank you, Miss Goldie!” Mina exclaimed. “You don’t know what this means to me!”

“Sapphire,” said Goldie, turning to the dancers. “You seem to have taken a shine to the nugget. Can she stay with you in your quarters?”

“Fine by me,” the redhead answered. “She don’t take up much room and I wouldn’t mind the company.” Goldie walked over and tipped Mina carefully into Sapphire’s hand.

“Opal, you’re good with a needle,” Goldie stated. “Think you can make Miss Mina a costume? There should be some leftover material in the storeroom.”

“I’ll give it a try, ma’am.”

“You can’t be serious!” Diamonda protested. “This is a joke, right? You’re not really going to hire that—that speck?!”

“Why, Diamonda,” chuckled Sapphire. “Are ya jealous? Afraid she’ll steal your limelight?”

“Not damn likely,” the blonde dancer said.

“I’ve made my decision,” Goldie announced. “Miss Mina is one of us now. Anyone who thinks otherwise must take it up with me. Or find employment elsewhere. Is that clear?”

Diamonda scowled. “Yes, Miss Goldie.”

Goldie leaned close to Sapphire’s ear. “Take good care of her,” she commanded in a low whisper. “This little wonder could make us all very rich.”

Sapphire nodded then turned her attention to the tiny figure in her palm.

“C’mon, sweet pea,” she said. “Let’s go get ya settled in. Unless ya’d rather live in here of course.” She held her hand above her cavernous cleavage and began to tilt it slowly. Mina squeaked in alarm and clung to her fingers, dangling above the daunting valley.

Sapphire righted her hand again. “I’m just teasin’ ya!”

“Wait! We can’t leave yet!” Mina cried. “I have to get Swiftpaws!”

Sapphire cocked her head to the side curiously. “And who’s he when he’s at home?”

“Swiftpaws is my mouse. I rode him into town this morning.”

The redhead giggled at the thought. “Of course ya did. Well, we can’t leave poor Swiftpaws behind, can we?”

At Mina’s instruction, Sapphire crouched before a knothole in the floor and lowered the teensy girl into it. The dancer got down on hands and knees and leaned over the opening, trying to watch Mina’s progress. Her generous backside wiggled in the air as she pressed her face close to the floorboards.

As this rather comical scene played out, Diamonda’s icy blue eyes shot daggers their way.

To be continued...

Chapter 4

Cradling her tiny new friends in her hands, Sapphire carried Mina and Swiftpaws up the stairs to her room above the dance hall. Despite herself, Mina couldn’t help but stare at the giant woman’s voluminous chest as it quivered slightly with each step. She remembered all too well her experiences within those dangerous curves. She forced herself to pull her eyes away, though this wasn’t easy when one was being carried at chest level by a buxom giantess.

Swiftpaws was given accommodations in a small gilded cage that had once housed a dancer’s pet canary. Mina was sad to see her loyal steed locked up but agreed that it was probably for the best. Goldie’s customers would not take kindly to a mouse scurrying about the premises.

“And the same goes for you, missy. Ya can’t just go wanderin’ around underfoot,” Sapphire said. She had placed Mina on a small nigtstand and taken a seat on the satin sheets of her bed nearby.

“If you and I are gonna be roomies,” the ginger giant continued, “we’ll have to set some ground rules. And I mean that literally. As in stay off the ground whenever possible.”

Sapphire slipped off her shoes and hoisted a leg, placing a stocking-clad foot on the tabletop beside Mina. The impact caused the tiny girl to stumble. Regaining her balance, she backed away cautiously from that monstrous appendage. Toes bigger than she was wiggled playfully through the sheer fabric.

“These tootsies may be cute but they’d be mighty deadly for a gal like you,” Sapphire reminded her. “The floor ain’t safe for ya.”

“How will I get around then?” Mina asked.

“I’ll have to carry ya,” said Sapphire. “It’s better that way. Sorry, sweet pea. I wish I could give ya the run o’ the place but it’s just too dangerous. You should probably stay off o’ chairs too.”

“Chairs?”

“Yep. Gotta watch out for this baby!”

The redhead stood up, spun around, and hiked up the back of her frilly skirt. She thrust her tremendous backside towards the table, hovering it directly above Mina. The minuscule girl looked up at it in absolute awe and fear. Like Sapphire’s chest, her bottom was formed by a whopping pair of perfect round hills, straining against the lacy undergarments that contained them.

“If the floor ain’t safe for ya, neither is chairs,” Sapphire concluded. “We wouldn’t want ya to get squashed when I sit down!” She clenched her mighty cheeks a few times to show their destructive capability. Mina gulped.

The giant woman dropped the bustle of her skirt back into place and turned around again. “Now then…where ya gonna sleep? There’s room for us both in the bed but I wouldn’t wanna roll over on top o’ ya. Plus, I sometimes get, *ahem*, gentleman callers. Might be best if I use the spare room for that. Yer innocent eyes don’t need to see such things. And ya certainly don’t wanna get caught in the middle of it! No siree! God, imagine all the places ya could wind up if…umm, what was I sayin’?”

“Where will I sleep?” Mina offered.

“Right, right. Sorry, my mind wanders sometimes. Hmm. I got me an idear.”

Sapphire walked over to a chest of drawers near the far wall and started rifling through one of the compartments. After a moment, she returned with a long elegant glove of red velvet. She unfolded this neatly and placed it on the table.

“Would this be all right to sleep in ya think?”

Mina approached the opening of the glove and wriggled into it like a sleeping bag. She pulled the edges up to her shoulders and slid her legs about, feeling the softness of the material.

“Ooo, it’s lovely!” she squealed.

“Glad ya approve.”

“Sapphire,” Mina said hesitantly, sitting up. “What do I do if I…if I need to…”

“To what, honey?”

Mina blushed. “Er, if I need to use the privy?”

The redhead’s eyes went wide. “Oh! Hmm. Guess I hadn’t thought of that. Let me see…”

Returning to the dresser, Sapphire shuffled things about in the drawer and returned with a handful of items. She placed a thimble on the tabletop and set an open book above it, forming a sort of pyramid. She took out a Japanese-style fan and, with a snap of her wrist, expanded it to its full width. Sapphire leaned the fan at an angle against the opening of this alcove.

“There ya go. A little privacy for ya.”

“Thank you, Sapphire,” Mina said, looking up at the towering lady. “For everything.”

“Aw, ‘tweren’t nothin’.”

“No, really,” the miniature girl declared. “You’ve been so nice to me. You didn’t have to be. I thought you would have squished me for sure when you found me in…uh, when I was in your…”

“When you were down between my jumblies?” Sapphire said with a smirk. “Don’t worry ‘bout it. There’s fellers in this town who’ve had their hands all over worse places. I’m just glad ya survived the trip. The girls here almost ate ya up!”

She cupped her enormous bosom with her hands and jiggled it again. Mina watched, mesmerized and a bit terrified by the violent motion.

“Ya know, I could stand to eat somethin’ myself,” the giant woman declared after releasing her assets. “Ya hungry, Miss Mina? I think I’ve got a box of chocolates around here somewhere. From one of my many admirers, ya see. A cattle rancher from the next town over. Or was it that blacksmith fella? Maybe the sheriff?”

Sapphire looked around quizzically and finally found what she sought on a nearby shelf. She scooped up a large red box in the shape of a heart and set it carefully on the table beside Mina. When she popped open the lid, the resulting sight took the tiny girl’s breath away. Laid out before her was a field of exotic chocolates, toffees, bonbons, and caramels. Some were as big as she was.

“Oh my…” Mina whispered breathily.

“Help yourself,” Sapphire told her, though the little lady was already trying to climb over the rim of the box. When she seemed to be struggling, Sapphire reached down and placed a fingertip under Mina’s dangling feet, giving her the last little boost she needed. Mina tumbled down into a veritable Candyland. She dove at a large chunk of chocolate that she could have used as a bench and began to nibble at it. Mina broke off pieces with both hands, stuffing her face and pulling out the gooey marshmallow center.

Sapphire beamed down at her miniature roommate. She watched her forage among the sweets like a small yet voracious animal.

“Aww, just look at ya,” the dancer cooed. “Cute enough to eat!”

Mina suddenly stopped and peered up at Sapphire with a look of panic.

“Oh! Sorry, Mina! I didn’t mean it!” Sapphire said quickly. “Guess that’s not just a figure o’ speech for somebody like you.”

“Not when one is bite-size, no,” Mina answered. She relaxed and resumed gorging herself on chocolate.

“That reminds me,” continued Sapphire. “We should probably work out a plan for mealtimes.”

“Don’t worry, I don’t eat much,” said Mina. “Mama always let me steal a few scraps from her plate and that was all I needed.”

“I don’t mind sharin’ with ya,” the red-haired beauty said. “Just, uh…don’t venture too far onto my plate. I should warn ya, I’ve got a powerful appetite. I tend to scarf down my food in big bites. So, don’t go gettin’ lost in my supper. If I don’t see ya there, I might send ya straight down my gullet!”

As if to demonstrate, Sapphire plucked up the bonbon next to Mina and popped it into her mouth. Her jaws got to work and a few seconds later, there was a loud audible gulp. Mina watched the enormous throat bob and traced the path of the bonbon with wide, horrified eyes.

“Ya may be a sweet pea but this is no place for ya,” said Sapphire as she rubbed her tummy. “Hmm. Probably safer if I cut some smaller portions for ya and leave ‘em on a napkin.”

“Y-yes!” Mina stammered. “Let’s do that, please!”

Sapphire frowned. “Aww, ya poor li’l mite! Scared o’ my feet and my bosoms and my arse and now my mouth too! I must seem like the worst roommate ever!”

“No, you’re wonderful!” Mina insisted. “Like I said, I appreciate everything you’re doing for me.”

“Good to know,” said the redhead. “Now save some o’ those chocolates for me, greedy!”

Sapphire’s long, slender fingers swooped down and closed around a handful of sweets, scooping Mina up in the process. She lifted her hand to her face and opened wide. Hot breath washed over Mina and she stared in terror at the vast cavern yawning before her. Her vision filled with glistening tombstone-like teeth, a writhing pink tongue spread out like a carpet, and thick strands of saliva stretching from floor to ceiling. Beyond this, she saw a dark abyss that could easily swallow her whole. Mina screamed.

The thick red lips suddenly closed and stretched into a smile wider than Mina was tall. “Sorry, sweet pea,” Sapphire chuckled. “Had ya goin’ there, didn’t I?”

Mina sat in the giant hand clutching her chest until she regained control of her breathing. “You mean you did that on purpose?”

“Yep,” Sapphire said sheepishly. “I couldn’t resist.”

“Why…why, you big meanie!” the tiny girl huffed. “Just for that, you know what I’m going to do?”

Sapphire arched an eyebrow. “What are ya gonna do, my wee missy?”

Mina thrust out both hands and pushed a sweet off the side of Sapphire’s palm. It plummeted to the floor and splattered. The enormous lips parted again, this time in surprise.

“Ya little devil, you!” Sapphire said in mock anger. She tried not to smile. “That was a strawberry one! Them’s my favorites!”

Mina crossed her arms over her chest and looked off to the side. “That’s what you get.”

“Oh yeah?” challenged the dancer. “Well, here’s what you get!”

Sapphire opened her mouth and popped the whole handful inside—candies, Mina and all. The huge, pillowy lips slammed shut behind the tiny girl, trapping her in the humid darkness. Mina felt the slippery, wet ground shift below her as a giant tongue began to swish her about. She tumbled over again and again, colliding with the bouncing chocolates or occasionally with a tooth or the ridged ceiling above. Mina’s heart was pounding. She couldn’t deny that she was scared but at the same time, this was sort of…fun. Mina squirmed and kicked wildly, laughing despite herself.

“Shtop wigglin’!” Sapphire mumbled through a mouthful of Mina. The motion of her tongue sent the little lady bouncing atop it. “I’m tryin’ not t’ shwallow ya!”

Just then, the door swung open and Opal stepped into the room.

“Hey, Saph!” called the brunette. “Miss Goldie has a contract ready for Mina to sign. Assumin’ she can work a pen. Say, where is the little gal any—?”

Opal suddenly noticed her friend’s bulging cheeks and flew into a panic. “Sapphire, no! Don’t eat her!”

Sapphire quickly reached into her mouth and retrieved a rather moist and bedraggled Mina. Doublechecking that she had grabbed the right item, she swallowed the mostly melted chocolates. Mina dangled once again between her thumb and forefinger. The tiny girl glared at her.

“Just look what you did to my dress!” she said. “I’m soaked!”

Mina and Sapphire stared at each other for a moment before bursting into giggles. Opal shook her head in confusion.

“You two are weird.”

To be continued...

Chapter 5

In the days that followed, Sapphire began teaching Mina some of the performers’ dance routines. She wouldn’t be able to participate in the big chorus numbers but she could recreate the choreography on whatever surface she was placed on. From her spot on the nightstand, Mina faithfully mimicked Sapphire’s every move, adding her own little flourishes here and there. When the dances became more energetic, she found it hard to keep her footing. Sapphire’s heavy footfalls and boisterous jumps sent shuddering tremors through the whole room. The final kickline of one dance almost knocked Mina straight off the table. In time, however, she adjusted and even began to excel at the dances.

Once she had mastered the basics, Mina and her roommate started to experiment with the act. They took one of Goldie’s suggestions, inspired by Mina’s mishap during her audition. It was decided that the tiny girl would attempt to dance on various parts of her partner’s body. She started in her customary perch within Sapphire’s palm, nimbly prancing about over the long slender fingers or dangling from the thumb like a pole dancer.

Next, the woman took a seat on the bed and allowed Mina to foxtrot across her knee and the wide expanse of her thigh. The little lady attempted to leap from one meaty thigh to the other but ended up tumbling into the gap between them. There, as was so often the case in Sapphire’s presence, Mina found herself trapped between two towering, impenetrable walls of flesh. After this, the redhead made sure to wear fishnet stockings during their practices. The crisscrossing wires made a handy ladder.

When her confidence had built up and the thigh jump was conquered, Mina attempted to dance on Sapphire’s shoulder. This was the trickiest task by far. Most of the woman’s dresses left her shoulders bare and the smooth, curving surface was rather slippery. Sapphire remained seated during these test runs to minimize the length of a potential fall.

“If ya feel yourself slippin’, aim for somewhere soft!” she joked, indicating her prodigious chest. Mina was still a bit frightened of that capacious canyon but knew she would prefer it to a two-hundred-foot drop to her death.

True to her word, Opal had managed to sew Mina a costume. It was re-creation in miniature of the other dancers’ uniforms – silken lace, a plunging bodice, shiny sequins (there was only room for about five of these in total on the tiny dress), a high slit to show off the legs, and a tall feathered headband. It had only taken a few scraps of fabric to create. Opal had used a deep royal purple (Mina’s favorite) with a lining of bright and eye-catching red. The dress was a bit loose, for it was difficult to get accurate measurements of a girl the size of one’s thumb. But Mina appreciated the effort nonetheless.

Sapphire and Opal cooed and fussed when the miniature girl emerged from her privy alcove, having changed into the dress for the first time.

“Awww, just look at ya,” Opal said. “Quite the little heartbreaker.”

Gradually, Mina adjusted to the daily routine of the dance hall. It was not without its stresses. For one thing, sharing meals with the dancers and staff members was quite an intimidating experience. As they had discussed, Mina’s designated spot was on a napkin to Sapphire’s left, spread out like a picnic blanket. High above, her roommate shoveled huge quantities of food into her maw, gulping down mouthfuls several times Mina’s size. Sapphire had not lied about her appetite. The carrot-topped colossus hardly seemed to stop and chew and was frequently going back for seconds. Mina tried not to imagine herself in one of those voracious mouthfuls. Deafening gurgles filled the air around her as Sapphire and the other women guzzled down gallons of beer. 

Now and then, Diamonda made eye contact with Mina from across the table, smirking wickedly. She made a big show of spearing vegetables as big as the tiny girl with her fork and lifting them to her lips to be gobbled up dramatically. Mina would simply avert her eyes and continue to nibble on a strip of beef or a few crumbs of dinner roll.

After a few weeks of rehearsal, it was finally time for Mina to make her debut. Or so Goldie insisted. She was not about to employ one of the world’s wonders only to have her hide away in Sapphire’s boudoir. Dressed in her costume, Mina stood in the center of her roommate’s palm, trying not to shake with stage fright. The duo was waiting in the wings offstage, listening for Goldie’s introduction.

“Nervous?” Sapphire asked as she felt the tiny form trembling in her hand.

“A little. What if I fall? What if they don’t like me? What if they laugh at me? I mean, I must seem ridiculous, right? A dancer the size of a strawberry!”

“You’ll do fine. Just remember what we practiced,” Sapphire insisted. A look of contemplation crossed her face. “Hmmm…”

“What?”

“I was just thinkin’…we should maintain the element of surprise. I’d say this calls for some kinda dramatic unveiling.”

“What do you—eep!”

Without warning, the ginger giantess plucked Mina off her hand and plunged her down into her ample cleavage. With a slight push of Sapphire’s fingers, the tiny girl vanished.

“Hold still in there,” the redhead whispered. “The fellas are gonna love this!”

Out on the stage, Goldie was making her announcement. Mina could barely hear it, muffled as it was through the considerable mass of Sapphire’s breasts.

“All right, boys, we have a special new attraction at the Mine tonight! A wonderment to astonish your eyes and warm your hearts (if not other regions). An act so incredible, it defies the very laws of nature! Here she is, for your diversion and delight, the sweetest and smallest performer in the West—Miss Minnie!”

A tiny head poked out of Sapphire’s décolletage. “Minnie?”

A finger pressed down on Mina’s head, entombing her once again in soft pink flesh. “Your new stage name,” Sapphire said over the applause. “Just go with it!”

The redhead strolled out onto the stage (carefully so as not to jostle her passenger too much). Goldie gave her a look of confusion.

“Where’s our star?” she whispered.

“Close to my heart,” said the dancer with a wink. She patted her bosom softly, sending a tremor through Mina’s world. Goldie caught on and moved aside with a knowing smile.

Sapphire walked downstage and sat down demurely on the edge, smiling at the audience. The crowd of cowpokes, ranchers, and farmers watched her in confusion, muttering amongst themselves.

“Ain’t that Miz Sapphire?”

“Hey, what’s the gag?”

“She shore is sweet but ain’t no part o’ that gal small.”

“Come a little closer, fellas,” Sapphire called. “Don’t be shy! Y’all are gonna wanna see this!”

Several men began to gather at the front of the stage, looking up at the dancer appreciatively from floor level. Slowly and sensuously, Sapphire slipped a hand down into her cleavage, prompting cheers and catcalls from the audience. The hand soon emerged and held aloft a tiny shape. Nearby, the piano man played a quick fanfare yet there was nothing but silence from the crowd. Followed by a rustling and scraping of chairs as several more men tried to move in for a better look.

Sapphire slid off the edge of the stage and into the crowd. She sidled over to a table in the front row, trailing puzzled cowboys in her wake. The redhead lowered her hand and allowed Mina to step onto the tabletop. The assembled men goggled in surprise. Mina glanced up nervously at the enormous figures with their harsh, rugged features, stubbly facial hair, wide-brimmed hats, and stunned expressions. Glasses of beer and whiskey towered around her like transparent trees.

“What in tarnation is that?” one of the men muttered.

“I seent one o’ these in the city once,” another boasted. “It’s some kinda wind-up aw-tom-o-ton.” He seemed very pleased with himself for remembering the word. “They make ‘em with clockwork.”

“All right, Pinky,” Sapphire called to the piano player. “Give us a tune!”

Tinkling, slightly off-key music commenced and Mina launched herself into a dance. A collective gasp passed through the crowd as the living doll began to move. Mina hiked up her skirt and danced around the tabletop. She kicked out her tiny shapely legs, shuffling to and fro and alternating with occasional box steps or grapevines. Gaining confidence, she vaulted over a salt shaker. The men leaned closer in awe and several stragglers from the back of the house began to move in and peer over their comrades’ shoulders. A wide-eyed rancher reached out a tentative finger to touch the miniature dancing apparition. Sapphire slapped the back of his hand.

“You know the rules, Gus!” she scolded. “No touchin’ durin’ the show! And that goes double with Miss Minnie!”

Slightly shaken by Gus’s unwanted attention, Mina moved closer to Sapphire. She did so subtly, never missing a beat of the music. Her friend set her hand palm upward on the table and Mina proceeded to dance right into it. Sapphire lifted her hand and the men continued to stare as the tiny beauty danced within it. The redhead held her arm out straight and Mina began dancing up its considerable length. She had to make sure to keep her balance but she had practiced for this. Before long, she had danced her way up to Sapphire’s shoulder.

By now the men were cheering and hooting and clapping along to the music. Their excitement only increased when Sapphire’s lovely form became the tiny girl’s dance floor. Mina took her steps carefully on the slippery shoulder, grabbing a strand of scarlet hair and using it as her dance partner. Feeling bold, she leapt off the side of the shoulder and swung from Sapphire’s tresses like a tiny jungle queen. The men watched in astonishment (and more than a little jealousy) as the arc of the strand took her tantalizingly close to the redhead’s bosom. Mina’s feet touched down lightly on that magnificent chest, skimming the surface until the hair pulled taut and she began to swing back the other way. In a wild spin, the little lady arced around behind Sapphire’s back.

The men standing closest looked around the woman’s shoulders, trying to find her. To their amazement, Mina was already shimmying up the strand like a rope and was soon scrambling atop Sapphire’s head. At the peak of this female mountain, she resumed her dance. Mina gamboled about on the lady’s scalp while her friend held as still as possible. Sapphire held her breath, trying not to giggle at the feeling of tiny feet tapping atop her head.

As the music began to crescendo, Mina danced forward to the precipice of the woman’s brow. She plopped down suddenly on her rump and pushed off the edge. To the crowd’s delight, the tiny woman slid down Sapphire’s forehead and onto the bridge of her nose. As she approached the end, Mina squeezed her legs tightly around the tip of the nose, stopping her descent. She reached a hand down to grip a nostril for support and dared to lift the other hand in a triumphant gesture.

“Yee-hah!” she cried as the song concluded. 

The crowd went mad. Cowboys and ranchers and sheriff’s deputies hollered and cheered, stamping their feet and pounding the tables. A few stray gunshots went off, fired at the ceiling in excitement, punctuating the wild applause. The room shook and Mina felt her balance abandoning her. Luckily, Sapphire’s hand was at the ready, held open just below her nose. The little dancer let go and took a short tumble into her partner’s palm. She picked herself back up and took a bow as the giantess held her high for all to see.

“Thanks, fellas! Minnie says you’re a great crowd!” Sapphire called. Mina had not in fact said anything but no one would have heard her if she did. “That’s all for now. The little lady has to return to her, uh, dressing room.”

In one smooth motion, Sapphire lowered her hand and slipped the tiny girl back down between her breasts. As Mina disappeared, the men cheered louder and shared a hearty chuckle. Sapphire blew them a kiss and hurried for the door that led backstage.

Mina bounced about in the narrow chasm of flesh but hardly seemed to notice her discomfort. She was still on a natural high from the performance. Once they were in the hidden corridor backstage, she squirmed upward until her head and upper torso popped out of Sapphire’s cleavage.

“That was so much fun!” she squealed.

“Incredible, that’s what it was,” said Sapphire, peering down at her. “What was all that business with swingin’ from my hair and landin’ on my nose? We didn’t practice that!”

“I know!” Mina agreed. “I just sort of let the music take over.”

“Well, be careful when ya try stunts like that. Wouldn’t want ya to fall. I’m a tall drink o’ water and it’s a long way down!”

Mina listened to the still roaring crowd. “I think they liked me.”

“They loved ya! You’re a natural, kid!”

As they made their way down the hall, they saw Diamonda leaning casually against a pillar. Sapphire felt suddenly self-conscious and pulled Mina from the confines of her bosom, returning her to the palm of her hand.

“I was watching from the bar,” Diamonda said. “Nice job.”

“Thank you,” Mina answered.

A sly smile crossed Diamonda’s lips. “Freak shows always draw a crowd.”

Sapphire scowled. “Aw, put a cork in it, Di!” She brushed past the blonde and headed for the dressing room. Diamonda folded her arms across her chest and laughed.

To be continued...

Chapter 6

After her dramatic debut, Mina found herself the talk of the town. The regulars at Goldie’s saloon were completely enamored with the tiny miraculous dancer. And word was beginning to spread. The mere existence of a miniature person was enough to draw attention but coupled with Mina’s talent and her exploits upon Sapphire’s body, it was a recipe for instant success. There had simply never been an act like that. As Goldie had predicted, the novelty and titillation factor was attracting crowds from all over the region. People were riding for miles to come see the amazing “Miss Minnie.”

As her fame grew, Mina continued to experiment. She and Sapphire practiced for hours, inventing and perfecting new tricks and gimmicks. One such variation was a multi-tiered lap dance. The redhead would sit on a cowboy’s knee while Mina in turn danced an elaborate routine on Sapphire’s knee. If the man was a regular, someone they knew and trusted, Mina would slide down Sapphire’s thigh and onto the cowboy’s leg. Those lucky few would get the unique experience of being Miss Minnie’s dance floor. If she felt especially flirtatious, she might even dance tantalizingly close to the man’s crotch, teasing him with the feeling of tiny tapping feet.

“Is that a six-gun in your pocket?” she asked one happy customer. “Or are you happy to see me?”

“Uhh…a little o’ both, Miss Minnie,” the man answered sheepishly.

Then there was an act they called “Dangerous Curves.” Sapphire would lean back and thrust out her chest, allowing Mina to dance on the protruding cliff of her bosom. The tiny girl would bounce up and down on the buoyant flesh or make daring leaps over the deep ravine at the center. Most of the men hoped to see her fall, marveling at the way the two-inch beauty could disappear completely within Sapphire’s tremendous bust. Though Mina’s balance had improved, she often indulged them and intentionally took a tumble. Her eyes went wide and her mouth formed a cute little “O” of feigned surprise just as she was swallowed up by a chasm of cleavage. This usually made Sapphire laugh, an action that rumbled and shook Mina’s surroundings quite violently.

“Miss Minnie and I remain, as always, bosom companions,” Sapphire joked.

Other times, the redhead laid herself upon the floor in an alluring pose while Mina danced along the entirety of her body. The men would gather in a semi-circle around them, cheering the tiny figure on as she sashayed over a living landscape. Pinky the piano man made sure to choose a lengthy song for this act as it was quite an epic journey for Mina.

Up she went over outstretched toes as big as she was. These would wiggle and flex, forcing Mina to dance nimbly atop them, shifting her weight from one toe to another. She continued over the dainty foot and the well-turned ankle and danced along the considerable length of a shapely calf. Mina crested the knee and did a grapevine over the thickness of a thigh. She capered lightly over Sapphire’s pelvic region, prompting cries of jealousy from the audience (as well as a few gasps from the redhead herself). Mina did a fandango across the vast expanse of the woman’s belly, fighting to keep her feet as the ground gently rose and fell. Next, she clambered up to the peak of a mountainous breast, dancing a jig at the summit. Balancing like a skier, she slid down the curving surface, stopping at the collar bone. With a wink to the audience, she doubled back briefly to dance in and out of the narrow valley between those mighty hills. 

Finally, Mina frolicked over the slender white neck, jumped up onto Sapphire’s chin, and struck a pose atop a pair of thick red lips, each almost as wide as her torso. The lips parted slightly, forcing Mina to do the splits and balance with a foot on each side of the widening divide. Just when it looked like she would plummet inside, the lips pursed quickly and blew a gust of air that sent the little lady skyward. Mina spun in a circle like a whirling dervish and landed gracefully on the tip of Sapphire’s nose. The crowd went wild.

Everyone loved Miss Minnie’s tantalizing escapades. Everyone except Diamonda. The beautiful blonde had been the star attraction of Goldie’s Mine for years. Diamonda had always been the strongest dancer and her seductive, dominant personality made her quite practiced in the art of turning men’s heads. Now she found her star waning as the audience lavished attention on the tiny girl and her fiery-haired partner.

“No way am I being upstaged by a bitch the size of my toe!” Di muttered to herself as she watched Mina’s act. She was practically fuming with rage. This would not stand.

Mina’s popularity continued to grow and soon the other dancers wanted in on the fun. They begged for the opportunity to have Mina dance upon their persons. Sapphire however was reluctant to allow it.

“It’s dangerous, Mina,” she told her roommate. “You and I work well together ‘cause we’ve had plenty o’ practice. I know how to pick ya up gently. I know when to be ready to catch ya in case ya fall. And at this point, you could probably draw a map o’ my figure since ya been over every inch of it! That ain’t the case with the other gals. What if they drop ya or squeeze ya too tight or—?”

“I’m pretty durable,” Mina said. “I fell off of you a few times in our rehearsals and I was fine. And the girls have been practicing picking me up. I say we give it a chance.” Mina smiled slyly up at the red-haired giantess. “Or do you just not want to share me?”

“Well, ya are my little sweet pea,” Sapphire said, tickling the tiny girl with a fingertip. Mina giggled and squirmed in her hand. “But if ya think it’s okay, we can try it.”

In the latest variation of the act, Sapphire joined hands with several of the other dancers and formed a line. The redhead stood at the end of the chain, holding Mina in an outstretched palm. When the music began, the little lady danced her way out of Sapphire’s hand, over her smooth, slender arm, and up to her shoulder. She disappeared momentarily in the woman’s scarlet tresses before re-emerging on the other shoulder. Mina then worked her way down the opposite arm to where Sapphire’s hand was clasped with Opal’s. The tiny woman scurried over Opal’s fingers and up her arm, vanishing into her raven locks to repeat the trick.

Mina danced down Opal’s arm and transferred onto Jade, a lovely Chinese girl who was the daughter of a local railroad worker. Her movements prompted giggles from the Asian beauty. Jade did her best to hold still but the pattering of the tiny feet tickled quite a bit. Mina got a scare when an involuntary flinch from Jade almost toppled her off but she managed to keep her footing. The miniature maiden pressed onward across the arm of a platinum blonde named Silver. Her arms were rather lithe and slender and took longer to traverse than expected. From Silver, it was a bit of a jaunt over to Turquesa, a zaftig woman of Mexican descent (these were, of course, not the dancers’ real names. Goldie was not one to waste a good theme. Mina was glad she had not been saddled with “Nugget” as her own stage name).

The tiny girl danced the flamenco over Turquesa’s arms and shoulders and made her way onto the last woman in the chain. Mina ducked through a waterfall of blonde curls, scurried over one last smooth shoulder and forearm, and struck a pose in an open palm. She was bowing for the cheering crowd when she got a sudden ominous feeling. The little lady turned around to see whose hand she now occupied.

It was Diamonda.

Mischievous blue eyes and a vast toothy grin loomed above Mina. Diamonda released Turquesa’s hand and broke away from the chain.

“Hey boys!” the busty blonde called. “Who wants to see Miss Minnie dance with me?”

Numerous men whooped loudly and called out their approval. A sea of ranchers and farmers began to crowd around Diamonda, anxious to get a good view. On the other end of the chain of dancers, a concerned Sapphire had broken ranks and was trying to force her way through the mob. But there were simply too many people.

Diamonda peered down at the tiny, nervous figurine in her hand. “Well, go on!” she insisted.

She held her thumb and index finger close together and released them in a sudden flick that struck Mina on the backside. The little woman jumped in surprise and almost tumbled off the blonde’s hand. She landed on the edge and made the mistake of looking down at a staggering drop of nearly two hundred feet. Diamonda’s shapely figure and long, slender legs seemed to stretch on forever. Mina forced herself to look up again. Towering over her was a veritable mountain range of humanity, all of them looking down at her with eager expressions. With no other option, Mina began to dance.

As she did so, Diamonda strolled over to a nearby table. Hoisting a leg, she sat down roughly on a tall, handsome cowboy’s lap. The crowd followed and repositioned themselves around the man’s chair.

“Howdy, big fella,” said Diamonda breathily. “This seat taken?”

“Uh, n-no, ma’am!” the cowboy answered, slightly flabbergasted. Holding a beer stein in one hand, he let his eyes drift between the beautiful blonde and the tiny, dancing doll in her hand.

“Be honest, pardner,” Diamonda told him. “Who’s more desirable? The shrimp?” She held her hand right under the man’s nose. Mina had to duck under it to continue her routine.

“Or me?” Diamonda leaned forward and thrust her ample bosom against the man’s face.

The cowboy tried to peer up past the top of her bodice and mumbled into a wall of flesh. “Umm, well, you’re both purty but, uh…”

“I mean, what could you really do with a bug-girl like her?” asked the blonde, pulling back and sitting up straight again. “Make her ride your pecker like a bucking bronco?”

Mina was startled by this suggestion but did her best to keep dancing. The cowboy seemed startled as well but was much more in favor of the idea.

“That might be fun for a while,” Diamonda continued. “But I’ll bet you’d rather have a real woman, right? Not a little freak.” 

Dismissively, she tilted her hand until Mina toppled off it and plunged headfirst into the beer stein with a plop. Di glanced down into the stein to see Mina splashing and struggling in the foam.

“Awww. Poor little bug can’t swim. We should help her out. Why don’t I drain the pool for her?”

Diamonda took the mug from the man’s grasp and brought it up to her lips. She tilted back her head and began to drink.

After landing in the beer, Mina had broken through the surface of the foamy beverage, coughing and sputtering. She found herself surrounded by tall, sheer walls of metal, too high and too smooth to climb. Suddenly, the whole world seemed to upend itself. The beer stein flipped on its side, shifting the liquid around her. The mug was now tilted almost vertically and a river of beer was flowing downward through its echoing recesses. Mina stared in terror at the circular opening ahead. The light had dimmed as the portal was filled by a pair of gigantic red lips, spread wide to accept the deluge of alcohol. Beyond those lips was only an ominous darkness. As the beer continued to flow, Mina could feel herself being carried along with it.

Desperately, the girl spun around and tried to swim against the current. But the angle was now too steep and she couldn’t stop herself from sliding. A wave of beer washed over her, sending her hurtling backward. The river of amber swept her through the yawning gateway of Diamonda’s lips and into the cavernous mouth. Mina shrieked as the flood carried her past rows of perfect white teeth and towards the abyss of the woman’s throat. A slimy pink uvula dangled menacingly ahead over a shadowy gullet. Beer was pouring over the precipice like a waterfall.

The lips and teeth slammed shut behind her, cutting off all light. Mina could feel the huge slippery tongue writhing below her like a serpent. It suddenly thrust upward, pressing the girl roughly against the roof of Diamonda’s mouth. Liquid continued to drain past her in rivulets but for now, the tongue held her securely in place. Mina could hear the loud and sickening gulps below her as the giantess guzzled down the beer. The little lady felt her ears pop from the change in pressure and could almost feel herself beginning to slip from the curled tongue’s embrace.

The world shifted once again as Diamonda lowered her head. Mina was still pressed tightly against her palate. Suddenly, the tongue dropped, causing the girl to fall a few feet and land with a wet splat upon its surface. The powerful muscle lolled this way and that, tossing Mina around like a piece of candy. Still blind in the darkness, the tiny woman slammed against the barrier of Diamonda’s teeth. At last, when she tired of her game, the giant woman pushed Mina to the side and allowed her tongue to slap down on top of her. Mina found herself trapped completely beneath it.

With one last gulp, Diamonda swallowed the rest of the beer. She flashed the stunned cowboy a wicked smile.

“Whoops,” she said, unconvincingly. It was difficult to talk with a tiny person under one’s tongue but she somehow managed. “I think she went down the hatch. Can you see her?”

The blonde opened wide to reveal a seemingly empty mouth to the cowboy and the rest of the audience. Diamonda closed her lips and gave a satisfied moan that vibrated Mina’s entire body. When she spoke again, every word was torture to the tiny girl as the tongue flopped and thrust atop her.

“Show’s over, fellas,” Diamonda said, sliding off the cowpoke’s lap. “Miss Minnie has retired to…her new quarters.”

The woman rubbed a hand over her belly luxuriously as the men around her stared or gasped. With a swivel of her hips, she walked away and disappeared through the backstage door. Behind her, she could hear a cacophony of shocked reactions.

“Did…did she really just…?”

“Holy shit! She done et her up!”

“Miss Minnie’s gonna be okay, ain’t she?”

“I always said Di was the type o’ gal who’d eat ya alive!”

The stage door burst open and Sapphire came storming in. She grabbed Diamonda by the shoulders and shook her wildly. As Diamonda’s head was jostled, Mina slid around in the slick, narrow chamber under her tongue.

“Di, what the hell have ya done?! Cough her up this minute or I’ll gut ya like a fish!”

The redhead dropped down to a crouch and pressed her face against Diamonda’s abdomen.

“Don’t worry, Mina! I’ll get ya outta there! Try not to panic, sweet pea!”

Diamonda let loose a cruel laugh, jiggling Mina once again below her tongue. The tiny girl’s prison was beginning to fill with saliva. If she wasn’t freed soon, she would surely drown.

“Don’t get your knickers in a knot, Saph,” Diamonda said. She reached into her mouth and extracted the miniature maiden. Mina was soaking wet and trembling but seemed to be intact. Sapphire quickly snatched her from the blonde’s fingers and held the shivering girl protectively against her chest.

“That was a finale they won’t soon forget,” chuckled Diamonda. “The fellas don’t know whether to be aroused or horrified. Maybe a little of both. Always keep ‘em on their toes.”

Sapphire produced a handkerchief from somewhere in the recesses of her bodice. She dabbed at Mina lightly, drying her off. “Ya could have killed her, ya crazy bitch!”

“I could have,” said Di. “I didn’t. She should count herself lucky. I’d never hear the end of it from Goldie.”

The curly-haired giantess leaned down towards Sapphire’s hand until her massive face loomed above Mina. She licked her lips slowly.

“Was it good for you too, honey?”

Tears in her eyes, Mina buried her face against Sapphire’s chest. Diamonda chuckled to herself and strolled off down the corridor.

To be continued...

Chapter 7

“Where’s Miss Minnie?” the audience members demanded.

“She ain’t really been eaten, has she?”

“Boys, boys, calm yourselves!” Goldie told the crowd as they gathered around the stage. “I assure you, what you just witnessed was all part of the act. A sort of magic trick. Miss Minnie is hale and hearty and will be back to perform again tomorrow night. I trust we’ll see you all back here at the usual time?”

Goldie ignored the doubtful mutterings and general confusion. She gripped the hem of her golden dress and did a little curtsy before rushing backstage. She found Diamonda loitering in the hallway.

“Where is she?” the saloon owner demanded. “Did you swallow her, you petulant child? Have you any idea what you’ve cost me?”

“She’s fine,” Di insisted. “I just scared her a little. Sapphire has her now.”

“So help me, Diamonda, if you’re lying to me—”

Opal leaned out the dressing room door. “She’s telling the truth. I saw them heading upstairs.”

“For your sake, that had better be the case,” Goldie said, pointing an accusatory finger at Diamonda.

“Are you sweet on that little freak too?” the blonde asked.

“I’ve grown fond of the nugget, if that’s what you’re asking. But I’ve grown fonder of the vast amounts of money she brings in. This act is a sensation. I won’t have you jeopardizing that or harming my star.”

“I thought I was your star,” said Diamonda.

“Things change. And they can change even further. If you try another stunt like that, Di, you’re out on your ass. Do I make myself clear?”

“Crystal, Miss Goldie.”

The fair-haired dancer scowled as Goldie brushed past her, heading for the staircase. Diamonda gritted her teeth. If she was going to get rid of that insufferable bug, she’d have to be clever about it.

* * * *

Sapphire carried the tiny trembling girl up the stairs to their apartment. Now and then, she gently stroked Mina’s hair with a fingertip, trying to reassure her.

“Aw, ya poor little cutie,” the redhead cooed. “Shakin’ like a leaf and still covered in that harpy’s spit! What you need is a nice hot bath.”

She set Mina down on the bedside table and began fussing about the room. Sapphire lit a blaze in the fireplace and filled an old battered teapot with water from the washstand. She hung the pot on a wire above the flame. While she waited for it to boil, there was a knock on the door.

“Everything all right in here?” Goldie asked when Sapphire let her in. “All miniature persons whole and accounted for?”

“Just dandy, Miss Goldie,” Sapphire answered. She held up a white china teacup. “I’m about to draw Mina a bath.”

“Good girl,” her employer said, giving a cursory glance to the little woman on the table. “Carry on then.” Satisfied, she turned and bustled out the door.

Sapphire returned to the table and set the teacup beside her little roommate. She filled the cup with steaming hot water and beamed down at Mina.

“There ya go, sweet pea. Get yourself outta those sticky clothes and hop in.”

Sapphire politely turned her back as Mina slid out of her costume. Nude and shivering, the miniature woman lifted a leg over the rim of the cup and cautiously dipped a toe in. Satisfied, she climbed over the side and slid down into the water with a sigh.

“Oh, that’s lovely,” Mina said, the first words she had spoken since escaping Diamonda’s jaws.

“I could use a good soak myself,” Sapphire agreed. She crossed to a corner and began to drag out a large metal wash basin. It took several trips with a soup pot of boiling water but she soon had the basin filled. Sapphire unlaced her corset and began to shimmy out of her green dress. As the garment fell to the floor, the redhead stood at the center of the room, naked as a jaybird. Despite herself, Mina couldn’t help but stare at the vast acres of creamy flesh on display above her. Sapphire’s bountiful curves were a wonder to behold. With a blush, Mina averted her gaze and tried to shield the side of her face with her hand. The gesture did not go unnoticed.

“Ya gonna be shy now, Mina?” Sapphire chuckled. She walked closer to the table, which placed Mina about level with the thick red forest between Sapphire’s legs. Mina blushed a deeper crimson. The giantess placed her hands on her round hips and peered down into the teacup. 

“This ain’t nothin’ ya haven’t seen before. You’ve been dancin’ all over me for a few weeks now.”

“Yes, but you’re usually, uh, clothed at the time,” Mina said sheepishly.

“Barely,” Sapphire said with a smirk. “There’s no need to be embarrassed. We’re both girls here. I got the same bits as you do. Mine are just a whole lot bigger.”

She shimmied her torso, causing her huge, pendulous breasts to sway back and forth above Mina. The girl stared up at these twin moons wide-eyed, then suddenly felt self-conscious. She sank further down in the cup until her head was almost underwater.

“Ya gotta loosen up, Mina,” Sapphire told her. “We’re living together now. Sometimes you’re gonna see me in my birthday suit. Might as well get used to it.”

Sapphire reached down and took hold of the handle of the teacup, catching her teensy friend by surprise. The redhead strolled boldly over to the wash basin and slid into the water, holding the teacup high. Sapphire leaned back against the metal wall and stretched out full length. She placed the teacup carefully on the surface of her belly. Bathwater rose upward along the cup’s edges but Mina remained safe within it.

The tiny girl peered over the rim at her new surroundings. Off in the distance were the mountainous peaks of Sapphire’s bosom, each rounded hill capped by a large pink nipple almost half as tall as Mina. The redhead’s pretty face filled the sky above, smiling down through the narrow valley between her breasts. Mina glanced behind her and saw Sapphire’s knees rising out of the water like white icebergs. The little lady’s eyes traced down the pale glistening thighs towards a mystery obscured in the water below. Mina gulped nervously.

“There,” said Sapphire. “Now we can chit-chat without me havin’ to shout over to the nightstand. Wow, I’m like an island to you. Ya got yer own private bathhouse on La Isla de Sapphira. Hee hee!”

As the giantess giggled, her stomach shook slightly, causing the teacup to quiver. Mina bounced around in its confines as water splashed over the sides. The redhead looked down at the tiny figure below and felt a sudden pang of guilt.

“I’m scarin’ ya, aren’t I?” Sapphire asked. “I’m sorry, honey. Here ya are traumatized by Diamonda and I go ahead and start playin’ with ya too. That was thoughtless of me. I’ll put ya back on the nightstand.”

“No!” Mina suddenly blurted. “Um, I mean…you can play with me if you want. I…I don’t really mind it when it’s you, Sapphire.”

The redhead arched an eyebrow. “Is that so? Well, if that’s the case…we don’t really need this teacup, do we? There’s plenty o’ room in here for the both of us.”

The giantess picked up the cup and tipped it on its side, spilling Mina and her bathwater onto a vast, flat belly. Mina found herself on hands and knees, crawling through about an inch of water (enough to almost submerge her). Sapphire leaned to the side and reached over the wash basin to place the teacup on the floor. As she did so, her whole body tilted slightly and Mina began to slip and slide along the smooth tummy. She had almost tumbled off into the water when Sapphire returned to a sitting position. The tiny girl slid back to the center. She stumbled a bit and reached out a hand for purchase. To her surprise, it sank lower than the surface of the belly, disappearing into Sapphire’s navel. Mina lost her balance and faceplanted onto her roommate’s skin. Her cute little backside was pointed upward awkwardly, prompting more giggles from the giant woman. The island below Mina rumbled and shook, bouncing her about.

“Ya look damn adorable down there, missy,” Sapphire told her. “Ya sure this is all right?”

“Definitely,” Mina said, pulling her arm out of the belly button and sitting up again.

“Well, don’t move around too much. I’m awful ticklish.”

“Oh, are you?” asked Mina in a sing-song voice. She dove towards the surface of the stomach and began to waggle her tiny fingers over the flesh. Sapphire laughed and squirmed. The living land mass bucked wildly beneath Mina, tilting back and forth.

“Ha ha ha—hey, quit it!” Sapphire squealed. A sudden lurch of her body caused Mina to slide down her belly. The tiny girl shot downwards like a toboggan rider, heading straight for the gap between Sapphire’s legs. With a plop, Mina disappeared under the surface of the steaming water.

“Aw, hell,” Sapphire swore. She began to fish around in the water, trying to locate the vanished girl. “Mina? Mina, where did ya go?”

Just then Sapphire felt something brush lightly against her nether lips. She gasped in surprise (and no small amount of excitement). The tiny shape returned and began to thrash about and massage her womanhood. It was unlike anything Sapphire had ever felt. Her breath caught in her throat as wave after wave of pleasure swept through her. The redhead leaned her head back and gave an involuntary moan. She resisted the urge to slam her hand down and force Mina completely inside her. She didn’t want to frighten her and was unsure if the poor girl could even survive such a journey. Sapphire gripped the sides of the wash basin and cried out loudly as she was taken over the edge.

The red-haired lady slumped backwards, basking in the afterglow. Then her eyes shot open in alarm. Had that incredible maneuver been intentional or was Mina drowning down there? Sapphire quickly thrust a hand below the water and scooped the tiny girl up.

“Oh my God, Mina, are ya okay? What just happened?”

Mina sat coyly in Sapphire’s palm and looked up at her giant friend. “Did I go too far?” she asked.

“Ya went just far enough, girl!” Sapphire said. “That felt amazing! Wait, ya did that on purpose? Mina…I didn’t know ya like gals!”

“I didn’t either,” the tiny woman answered. “I’d never been around them until recently. Or around boys for that matter. But you’re so beautiful, Sapphire. The more I’m with you and get to dance on your body…I suddenly realized I enjoy it. Oh God, Saph, what’s happening to me? Mama always said this kind of thing is…is a sin!”

“Hogwash,” Sapphire told her.

“But the Bible says—”

“Sweet pea, if I cared what the Bible says, ya think I’d dress the way I do and shake my naughty parts in a dance hall every night? Love ain’t no sin, kid. Ya like who ya like. And if there’s a Big Man Upstairs, I doubt he gives two shits about it. Got bigger things on his mind.”

She brought her hand closer until her huge red lips were directly over Mina.

“And I’ll let ya in on a secret,” Sapphire whispered. “Ya know how I sometimes have gentleman callers? Well, I’ve had a few lady friends as well.”

Mina swallowed hard and stared at the wrinkled surface of the immense lips as they moved above her. “Y-you mean…?”

“That’s right. Sapphire takes all comers. Even little pixie-sized ones.” She reached out a finger and tickled Mina’s side.

“So, you’d be okay with, um…”

“With foolin’ around a bit? Absolutely,” the redhead announced. She bent down and gave Mina a kiss that covered her entire head and most of her torso. As she pulled away, Mina stuck to her lips for a moment then disconnected with a wet smack and tumbled back into her hand.

“But we need to be careful,” Sapphire warned. “You’re awful fragile, Mina.”

“I trust you,” said the tiny girl.

“I trust ya, too. Enough to let ya in on another secret,” continued the giantess. “I s’pose I oughtta if we’re gonna be more intimate. My name ain’t really Sapphire. Goldie gave us all stage names to fit the theme of the saloon.”

“I wondered about that,” Mina said. “So, what’s your real name?”

There was a pause as Sapphire hesitated. “It’s Deirdre,” the giant woman finally answered. “Deirdre Printwhistle.”

Mina tried to hold it in but was soon giggling uncontrollably. She nearly doubled over in the woman’s hand. “Deirdre? No fooling?”

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, tiny. There’s a reason I left that name behind in the little Podunk town where I grew up.”

“No, I like it! Really! It’s cute!” Mina extended a tiny hand. “It’s nice to officially meet you, Deirdre.”

The giantess lifted her other hand and offered the miniature girl her pinky. “Likewise, Wilhelmina.” 

The little maiden took the finger and shook it vigorously.

“Now then…” said Sapphire-née-Deirdre with a lustful look in her eye. Her tongue slipped out between her lips and lapped at the tiny naked girl. 

“…where were we?”

To be continued...

Chapter 8

The days that followed were filled with pure bliss for Mina. Her friendship with Sapphire had morphed into something more, something she had never believed was possible. Mina had long ago assumed she’d be alone her whole life. She was the only person her size (as far as she knew) and the thought of someone desiring a girl the size of their thumb was unlikely, to say the least. Yet Sapphire had embraced the idea. Perhaps their bond transcended their differences. Perhaps it was simply the novelty of it, a kink that was new and exciting. To be honest, Mina didn’t care which. She wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Older and more experienced, Sapphire was quite adept at bringing pleasure to her tiny friend. All it took was a well-placed fingertip or the caress of a tongue to send Mina into ecstasy. For her part, Mina was still learning but she’d wandered around the redhead’s body enough times in their rehearsals to have a good idea of what she liked. 

Thus far, they had erred on the side of caution. They kissed, touched, and explored each other but had not outright slept together. They were unsure if Mina could survive the experience.

“You’re pretty durable, sweet pea,” Sapphire said. “But ya can still get hurt. Not sure ya should be spelunkin’ in my nethers. There’s some powerful muscles down there. I wouldn’t wanna crush ya in the throes of passion.”

Mina lingered on this image a bit longer than she should have before answering.

“No. Uh, we wouldn’t want that.”

“Tell ya what,” said the ginger giantess. Sapphire traced the inside of Mina’s little leg with her index finger, lifting it gradually until the tiny girl was straddling it. Mina shivered. 

“Why don’t we revisit that idea later?” Sapphire continued. “Once we have a better idea of your limits.”

From the minuscule maiden’s perspective, they had already crossed beyond her limits. Eulalia had raised her as a good Christian girl and a part of Mina still felt guilty about this new relationship. But another part found it hard to imagine anything evil in two people loving each other and finding happiness.

That happiness had not gone unnoticed at the saloon. As roommates and dance partners, Mina and Sapphire had always been inseparable but the other dancers had begun to see changes in their behavior. They watched the redhead giggling with the tiny girl at private jokes or snuggling her close between acts. Once, Jade caught them stealing a kiss backstage. When the young Chinese woman surprised her, Sapphire gasped so suddenly she almost inhaled Mina completely. She extracted the flailing girl from between her lips and quickly hurried off.

Rumors began to fly. Most of the dancers smiled knowingly or tittered among themselves. A few met the idea with confusion or even disgust. But as Sapphire’s sexual appetites were well known at the Mine, most of the ladies eventually shrugged it off. They may not have all approved but they knew Saph was stubborn and would do as she pleased. Goldie seemed unmoved by the whole affair.

“What you do on your own time is your business,” the elder lady told Sapphire. “Just don’t break my star.”

Everything seemed to be going wonderfully for Mina, not only in her personal life but her professional one as well. Her act continued to be a hit and men were pouring into the dance hall every night to see her and Sapphire perform. Mina had begun to save up the money Goldie paid her. She kept it in the top drawer of the nightstand where she slept. Soon, she’d have enough to cover the costs of Eulalia’s farm.

Eulalia. Mina rarely thought about her anymore. When she did, it was with a twinge of guilt. Her mother had no idea where she was. Did she worry about her? Did she feel abandoned? Or was she relieved to be free of the burden of caring for a miniature daughter? Mina wondered now and then if she should send one of the dancers to the farm as a messenger, to let her mother know she was all right. 

But she knew Eulalia would never approve of her new life. Dance halls were dens of sin and iniquity, filled with liquor, bawdy music, and loose women. Eulalia would be scandalized if she knew Mina worked at one, let alone that she was now in a relationship with one of those “loose women.” The saintly church-going Eulalia would find that horrifying. Better that she didn’t know. By year’s end, Eulalia would need to make a report to the government if she wished to keep her homestead. By then, Mina would have more than enough money saved.

Overall, life was good for the tiny dancer. There was only one fly in the ointment—and it went by the name of Diamonda.

* * * *

“These mashed potaters are amazin’!” Sapphire said, stuffing another spoonful into her mouth. “The cook outdid himself t’night! Have ya tried ‘em yet, Mina?”

The little woman looked up from her picnic-blanket napkin and shook her head. She was always astonished by how much food Sapphire could consume. In the time it had taken Mina to nibble a strip of salted meat, Sapphire had already finished a plateful of potatoes and gravy, a slab of roast beef, a pile of boiled vegetables, and copious amounts of beer.

It was the latter that had Mina a bit concerned. Sapphire had downed several glasses with supper, celebrating another successful week of their partnership (in more ways than one). And while the redhead could usually hold her liquor, her words were beginning to slur.

If anyone else had noticed, they gave no sign. The other dancers were busy chatting amongst themselves and enjoying their meal. Mr. Pinky was treating them all to a jaunty tune on the piano and there was a general air of fun and frivolity. Across the table, Mina saw Diamonda scowling at her now and then but that was nothing new.

“Ya gotta try these, Mina!” Sapphire insisted. She spooned up a sample of the mashed potatoes and dumped it onto the napkin. Mina flinched as the large white glob crashed down beside her, spattering her dress with gravy. With a scoff, she held out her arms at her sides and tried to shake the sticky brown liquid off her.

“Careful, Saph!” Mina called. “You’ll ruin my costume.”

“Don’t ya want any taters?” the giantess asked, her face looming above. Long red hair formed an impenetrable curtain on either side of Mina and she could smell the alcohol on Sapphire’s breath.

“Eh, more f’r me then!” Sapphire dipped a finger into the potatoes and slid it forward, scooping them up. Mina rolled to the side to avoid the long slender appendage as it swept past. Sapphire brought her finger to her lips and sucked on it. She then reached for her tankard of beer.

“Don’t you think you’ve had enough for one night?” Mina asked.

Sapphire tipped back her head and drained the mug in one sip. She wiped the corner of her mouth and looked back down at her girlfriend.

“Wossa matter? Afraid I’ll get frisky and take advantage of ya?” Sapphire reached down with her finger once again, this time hooking it under Mina’s skirt and lifting it upward. As the tiny girl gasped and tried to pull it back down, Sapphire burst into giggles.

“Relax! I knows the rules,” she finally said. “Even if ya are lookin’ extra adorable this evenin’.”

Sapphire leaned down and planted a kiss on Mina’s head—her entire head at once, as well as part of her torso. Enormous plush lips pinned the little lady to the napkin. Though she was startled at first, Mina soon returned the gesture and planted tiny kisses on the wide expanse of wrinkled flesh above her. When Sapphire finally disconnected, Mina laid back contentedly on the table and sighed. She glanced at her garments. They were now covered with a red lipstick stain as well as the thick brown gravy. She shrugged. They’d have to wash her outfit before tomorrow’s show.

“There’s only one thing t’ worry ‘bout when I’m drinkin’,” Sapphire admitted. “The call o’ nature. ‘Scuse me for a bit, sweet pea.” She got up from the table a bit uneasily and began shuffling off in the direction of the outhouse.

Mina sat up and looked at the remains of her supper. She had finished the strip of beef but surprisingly, she was still hungry. She glanced around her. Sapphire’s plate was just about empty save for a few stray carrot slices. They looked rather tasty. Mina got up and walked over to the plate, pulling herself up onto the lip of it. Sapphire had admonished her not to climb onto people’s plates. But the redhead wasn’t using it at that moment. Surely there was no harm in stealing a piece of carrot.

She had just made it to the center of the plate when she was eclipsed by a dark shadow. Mina sensed the looming presence of a human above her.

“Back already?” she called, turning to look up. “That was fas—”

Her words caught in her throat when she saw who was standing beside the table. Diamonda looked down at her with hands on her wide hips and a mischievous smirk on her face high above.

“Hungry, are we?” the blonde giantess said.

Mina dropped the carrot and stared up at the towering figure. “Er, yes. A little,” she answered.

“You know, you shouldn’t go scurrying around people’s dinners,” said Diamonda. She crouched down until her huge features filled Mina’s horizon. “Someone might mistake you for an appetizer.”

Mina gulped as the giant woman licked her lips lasciviously. Diamonda reached a massive hand towards her, causing Mina to gasp and duck. She covered her head in a futile gesture. But the hand passed over her and continued onward, reaching for something on the other side of the plate. Diamonda grabbed the bowl of mashed potatoes that the ladies had been passing around.

“If you were hungry, Mina, you only had to ask,” she said. 

The blonde-haired colossus grabbed the wooden spoon and began ladling potatoes onto the plate, dropping them directly onto the tiny girl. Mina shrieked as she was buried in an avalanche of white clumpy starch. Diamonda spooned more and more mashed potatoes on top of her, smiling sadistically. She reached for a gravy boat and began pouring this onto the mountain that had encompassed Mina. The little woman was by now completely lost in the mush, hidden from sight. Diamonda looked around. The other dancers and employees seemed to be preoccupied with their conversations and weren’t looking her way. With a grin, she reached for a spoon.

“Play us another one, Pinky!” a voice called nearby. Diamonda turned and saw Sapphire making her way back to the table, a new beer mug in hand. The blonde’s smile became more devious.

“Hey, Saph,” she said.

“Oh, hey, Di,” Sapphire answered, taken by surprise.

“Got you some more potatoes.”

“Ya did?! That was nice o’ ya. Y’know, I take back, oh, fifty percent o’ the bad things I’ve said about ya!”

“Gee, thanks,” Diamonda deadpanned. She stepped aside to allow Sapphire to take a seat. “Bon appetit.”

Sapphire grabbed her spoon and began to eagerly shovel mashed potatoes into her mouth. She wolfed them down in hungry gulps, rapidly decimating the pile before her. Diamonda stood to the side and watched.

Swimming in a sea of white, Mina had lost all sense of direction. She felt something move beneath her. Cold metal touched her skin and she slid into the concave hollow of a spoon. This was followed by the sensation of being lifted. In a panic, she pushed and kicked against the potato mash, finally clearing some from her face. She looked up and saw only a wall of thick red lips which slid apart with frightening swiftness. A gigantic cave of a mouth opened wide before her, its shadowy entrance framed by huge, pearly white teeth. Before Mina could react, the spoon was thrust through this gateway and the lips sealed behind her.

Mina tumbled forward with the clump of potatoes as it slid off the utensil. She faceplanted onto the wet, slippery surface of an enormous tongue. The spoon retracted through the lips, leaving her in darkness. The air was oppressively humid and smelled strongly of beer. Utterly terrified, Mina couldn’t see a thing but she could feel the whale-like tongue rippling and writhing below. She was tossed about with the potato mash as the gargantuan jaws worked around her. The mighty tongue shifted and pushed her to the side until she landed roughly on the hard surface of the lower molars. With a yelp, she rolled the other way, narrowly avoiding the chomping motion of the upper teeth. The two rows crashed together, gnashing and chewing the potatoes into paste.

Soaked to the bone, Mina slid through a mess of vegetable matter and saliva back to the center of the tongue. Desperately, she tried to call for help.

“Sapphire! I’m in here! Don’t eat me! Don’t eat me!!!”

It was fruitless. Whether from the noise and chatter of the dining room or the blaring piano or her own inebriation, the redhead was completely oblivious. Mina felt the tongue shift once again, this time lifting upward. She began to slide down it with the remnants of potato, plunging towards the abyss. Shrieking, she slipped over the precipice and into the giant woman’s gullet.

Mina flailed and kicked, hoping to be noticed. If Sapphire felt something tickle the back of her throat, she paid no heed to it. In a single mighty gulp, she swallowed the tiny girl whole.

To be continued...

Chapter 9

Mina shrieked in horror as she tumbled into the darkness. She felt herself sliding down a long, slippery tunnel. Powerful walls of slick muscle squeezed her from all sides, forcing her little form ever downwards. The force was almost unbearable and she feared that this sickening embrace would crush her utterly. After a few torturous moments, she was pushed through a narrow opening and entered a much wider chamber. Mina found herself in freefall for a terrifying split second before she landed with splash in a lake of viscous sludge. 

The tiny woman sank into a swirling maelstrom of beer, mashed potatoes, and chewed up foodstuffs. In a panic, she swam upwards, fighting and kicking until her head broke through the surface. Mina took a gasp of foul-smelling air. Paddling blindly in the dark, she found a small island of roast beef and pulled herself onto it like a castaway clinging to driftwood at sea.

She could hardly contemplate what had just happened. Sapphire had swallowed her! The woman that she loved and trusted like no other had gulped her down whole like an oyster. As betrayed and horrified as she felt, Mina knew she had been warned of this danger. Eulalia had cautioned her about her bite-size nature. And Sapphire had always been forthright about her voracious eating habits. Even so, Mina had never fully believed it could come to this. She was very small, yes, but surely not an insignificant mass. Was Sapphire so drunk that she couldn’t feel Mina squirming in her mouth? Couldn’t feel her fighting and kicking all the way down?

Mina’s ears were assaulted by the deafening gurgles and groans of the massive chamber around her. Several feet away, the muscular walls shifted, causing the murky lake to suddenly churn violently. The tiny girl clung tightly to her beefy life raft as it was tossed this way and that. A powerful wave sent her slamming roughly into a nearby wall. Mina balled up her fists and pounded them against the wrinkly barrier of flesh.

“Sapphire!” she cried. “I-I’m in your stomach! Let me out! Oh God, Saph, please tell me you can feel this!”

The wall before her rumbled with a powerful vibration that shook Mina’s whole body. At first, she dared to hope that it was a signal from her giant friend. Had she made contact? Then, the horrible reality set in.

Sapphire was patting her belly.

* * * *

The redhead slapped a hand lightly against her pleasantly full tummy. It had been a very satisfying meal. She covered her lips and suppressed an unladylike burp.

“Mmm,” Sapphire muttered, massaging her abdomen. “That hit the spot.”

Nearby, Diamonda could only stare in morbid fascination. She had taken a seat at the table across from Sapphire and had watched, wide-eyed, as mouthful after mouthful had vanished down her gullet. Now the plate was empty and there was no sign of the little bug-girl anywhere.

This had played out better than she could have hoped. If Sapphire had found Mina on her plate, Di would have shrugged it off as a practical joke. But the red-haired dancer had hardly paused to chew. She’d gobbled up the whole mound of potatoes and the tiny stowaway with it. By now, Mina had either been torn to pieces by Sapphire’s teeth or—Di felt her pulse quicken at this next thought—had been swallowed whole and alive. Diamonda eyed Sapphire’s corset-clad belly, trying to imagine what little Mina might be experiencing in there. The rather twisted thought sent a shockwave of arousal through her. Unconsciously, the blonde slid a hand under her dress, searching between her legs.

Sapphire meanwhile was busy seeking a chaser for the potatoes. She reached for her beer mug, brought it to her lips, and began to guzzle down her drink. Diamonda shivered slightly as she watched that slender throat bob with each gulp.

* * * *

Mina screamed as gallon upon gallon of beer began pouring from the ceiling. She coughed and sputtered as it landed atop her. Beer washed over her like a waterfall, stirring the swamp formed by Sapphire’s dinner and prompting more churning of the stomach.

Was this fate’s cruel joke? Mina had finally found happiness, only to be consumed by the very object of her affection. Was God punishing her for her sins?

“Sapphire, please let me out!” she called desperately. “I—I don’t want to die…”

* * * *

Sapphire swallowed the last of the beer and set the tankard down on the table. She wiped her lips with the side of her hand. Her head was swimming and she was starting to see double. Perhaps Mina was right and she’d had a bit too much that evening.

Her torso was wracked by a sudden spasm as she hiccupped. “Heh. Drank that last one too fast. I know, I know, I should slow down, right, Mina?”

The redhead leaned over the table but found that her tiny friend’s spot on the napkin was empty. She frowned in puzzlement and glanced around the tabletop.

“Mina? Where ya hidin’, swee’ pea? *HIC* ‘Scuse me.”

There was no sign of her miniature partner. Sapphire was by now starting to worry. She continued her search, lifting or pushing items aside on the table. As she did so, her tongue idly worked at a small object caught between her teeth. It felt like a sesame seed but she didn’t remember any of the dinner rolls being seeded.

“C’mon, this ain’t funny! Where did ya—*HIC*—go? Hey, has anybody seen Mina?”

When the redhead looked her way, Diamonda quickly (and guiltily) pulled a hand out from under the table, blushing crimson. She shrugged and tried to look innocent.

The mystery item finally came loose and Sapphire reached in to extract it from her mouth. She held it up in confusion, closing one eye and squinting with the other to try and focus. The ginger dancer’s blood ran cold. It wasn’t a seed at all. It was a tiny shoe, smaller than her smallest fingertip.

“Oh, shit,” Sapphire said. Her stomach growled loudly as her dinner sloshed about within. The redhead stared down at her tummy in disbelief. Had she really just…? Despite herself, Sapphire hiccupped loudly once again.

* * * *

With each tremendous hiccup, Sapphire’s diaphragm heaved, bouncing the contents of her stomach about. Mina lost her grip on the chunk of beef as it hurtled about in the vast roiling cavern.

“*HIC*”

The stomach lurched again sending Mina bouncing off a fleshy wall and riding a wave of bile and foodstuff back the other direction. She plunged into the murky lake as the “waters” swirled and pulled her under.

Mina paddled frantically, unsure which way was up. If the horrendous motion didn’t finish her off, she would almost certainly drown. And if she somehow avoided those fates—Mina didn’t want to think about what would happen next. Already she could feel her skin beginning to tingle and burn. Tears were streaming from her eyes, though they were lost amid the myriad other liquids filling the giantess’s belly.

“*HIC*”

Another powerful lurch sent her flying as the enormous stomach was sent into spasm after spasm. This was it. She was going to die in here. Mina tried to take comfort in the fact that she’d become a part of the woman she loved.

* * * *

“Oh God, Oh God, Oh God—*HIC*” Sapphire babbled as she fled from the room. “Hold on, Mina! I’ll—*HIC*—get ya out o’ there!”

She bolted up the stairs to her apartment and stood over the wash basin. Sapphire thrust two fingers into her mouth and down her throat. She gagged repeatedly but nothing seemed to happen. She jabbed her fingers deeper, hacking and choking. At last, when she thought she’d failed and consigned her tiny lover to digestion, Sapphire retched one final time. A stream of vomit burst forth into the basin.

Sapphire wiped off her lips and peered down with dread. There, lying prone in a sickly puddle, was the tiny form of Mina. Her purple dress was in tatters and her skin looked raw and red. She wasn’t moving.

Tears rimmed Sapphire’s eyes. “Please don’t be dead,” she prayed. “Oh, Jesus, Mina, what have I done? I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”

After an interminable moment, Mina coughed and spat out a mouthful of Sapphire’s supper. She looked up weakly at the towering redhead looming overhead.

“S-Saph…” she whispered.

“Oh, thank God!” Sapphire cried. “Mina, I-I don’t know how I could’ve—to think that I—oh, sweet pea, can ya ever forgive me?”

Mina’s answer was incredibly faint, forcing Sapphire to lean closer.

“What was that, honey?”

The little woman tried again. “Saph, that wasn’t what I meant…when I said I wanted to be… inside you.”

Despite her state of panic and guilt, Sapphire couldn’t help but laugh. Her body was wracked by sobs once more, this time in tears of joy.

* * * *

Mina lay stretched out on a pillow, stripped down to her skivvies. Her skin was still as red as a beet and every part of her stung sharply from the pain. Several giant figures towered above her, most notably the town doctor. The gray-haired bespectacled man was inspecting her with a large magnifying glass. As gently as possible, he attempted to rub a soothing ointment on the tiny girl’s body. Mina winced but did her best to endure it.

“How did this happen?” he asked in concern.

“Never ya mind how it happened!” Sapphire answered with a hint of embarrassment. “Just tell it to us straight. Is she gonna be all right?”

“She was burnt pretty badly but I don’t think there’s any permanent damage,” said the doctor. “Though it’s hard to do a proper examination on someone so, uh, small. Near as I can tell, Miss Minnie is extraordinarily resilient. She just needs time to heal.”

“How could you be such an idiot, Sapphire?!” Goldie raged. “I told you to take care of my star! You nearly deprived me of—I mean, deprived poor Miss Minnie of her life. Next time, watch what you eat, don’t just stuff it down your gob!”

“Yes, Miss Goldie.”

The doctor did a double take. “I’m sorry, did you just say she…ate her?”

Sapphire’s face blushed a deeper red with shame. “Concentrate on your patient, doc,” she insisted.

The old man leaned forward and peered once again through the lens of the magnifying glass. Mina felt rather self-conscious to be scrutinized so closely.

“Yes, these burns would be consistent with a strong acid,” he said. “But to emerge relatively intact from the human digestive system—remarkable! When she’s recovered, I should like a more thorough examination of Miss Minnie.”

“You and half the territory,” Goldie said.

“Er, not like that,” stammered the physician. “This girl is a wonder of medical science. By rights, a person of her minute dimensions should not even physically exist! Imagine what we could learn if given a chance to study her in more detail!”

“No,” said Sapphire.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Ya ain’t turnin’ Mina into a lab animal! She’s been through enough already!”

“And who’s responsible for that?” Goldie said.

“It wasn’t Sapphire’s fault!” Mina cried out. The enormous figures above all turned and bent down closer to listen. “Well, not entirely at least. Diamonda buried me in the mashed potatoes. Probably meant to eat me herself if Saph hadn’t gotten there first.”

“Ya mean she knew ya was in there the whole time?” Sapphire asked, appalled. “And she just let me—God, that’s sick even for Di.”

“Diamonda has had an issue with Mina from day one,” said Goldie. “I think it’s past time I have a chat with her.”

Just then, Opal burst into the room accompanied by a small, mysterious Native American woman. Though seemingly in her middle years, the newcomer possessed a rather striking beauty. She had sharp features, a proud aquiline nose, and sparkling brown eyes that conveyed both wisdom and mischief. Midnight black hair streaked with silver draped over her shoulders. The woman wore a deerskin dress and a thick cloak of buffalo fur. In her hand was a tall staff carved from a fallen branch.

“Saph, I brought the medicine woman, like ya asked,” Opal said.

“Hmmph. ‘Medicine woman’ indeed,” the doctor scoffed. “What would a savage know of medicine?”

“Watch it, sawbones,” Sapphire scolded him. “Dancin’ Storm is a friend of the Mine. She’s helped a few of the gals avoid…unwanted visitors. The kind that arrive after nine months, if ya get me. Anyhow, Mina ain’t exactly a normal girl. If your medicine couldn’t help her, I wanted to have a back-up plan.”

“Ridiculous,” the doctor muttered. He handed Sapphire several small bottles. “Apply this ointment to the burns every few hours. And give her a drop of morphine for the pain if it gets too great. Make sure she gets plenty of rest. Come fetch me if her condition worsens.”

With a scornful glance at the Indian woman, the old man departed from the room. Dancing Storm ignored him and drew closer to the pillow on the tabletop.

“Well, Storm, do ya agree with the doc’s prognosis?” Sapphire asked. “Will Mina be okay?”

Dancing Storm held her hands above Mina, casting the tiny girl in their shadow, and chanted quietly in her people’s language. When her prayer was finished, she answered in English.

“Yes. Little Nunnehi is strong.”

“Nun-what now?” Sapphire said.

The medicine woman produced a small bowl from the folds of her cloak and began to mash up a collection of herbs, plants, and berries using a stone.

“Nunnehi,” she repeated as she worked. “The Travelers. Spirit people. What is the white man word? Fair Folk?”

Opal’s eyes lit up. “I told you she was a fairy!” the girl exclaimed.

Sapphire rolled her eyes. “Yes, Opal, you’re very smart. We’re all impressed.”

“Been watching this Nunnehi many years,” Dancing Storm continued. “Like my own. And in a way, she is. I gave her spirit flesh. Helped bring her into this world.”

Mina stared up at the medicine woman in shock. “You were the one my mama went to for help having a child!”

Dancing Storm smiled down at her.

“I have so many questions!” Mina said. “Where did I come from? How did you…create me? Am I really a fairy, like Opal said? Are there others like me, other, um, Nunnehi?”

“Many questions, yes,” Dancing Stormed repeated. “But not right ones.”

The tiny girl stared up at her quizzically. “What do you mean?”

Dancing Storm produced a miniature doll-sized bowl from somewhere in her garments. She spooned a minuscule bit of the mashed herbal mixture into it and handed this to Mina.

“Eat. Nunnehi must recover strength of body and spirit.” She set the larger bowl with the remainder of the mixture on the table beside Mina’s pillow. “For later.”

“Dancing Storm,” Mina said as she slurped up the herbal remedy. “What did you mean when you said I wasn’t asking the right questions?”

“Nunnehi is focused on her beginnings. Where she comes from. But she knows where she comes from. Does she remember who is missing her there?”

Dancing Storm kissed her fingertip and touched it lightly to Mina’s head.

“You think,” she said. “I check back on you later.”

Before Mina or the others could protest, the medicine woman turned and marched briskly from the room, her wooden staff tapping all the way.

To be continued...

Chapter 10

Mina laid upon her pillow snuggled up in a handkerchief. Thanks to the doctor’s medicinal salves and Dancing Storm’s herbal concoction, she was beginning to feel like herself again. The burns on her body were healing faster than anyone had anticipated. A mere day later, they had almost disappeared. Whether due to her unique physiology or some sort of magic (or both), no one could say. But her much vaunted durability was working overtime.

Sapphire had not left her bedside. The redhead kept a vigil and dutifully applied the healing lotion to her tiny friend every couple of hours. As gently as possible, a long slender finger taller than Mina would slide over her miniature limbs and torso, rubbing the salve into her skin. Though it stung at first, as Mina healed she began to adjust to it. Soon it started to feel like a full body massage. Mina closed her eyes and moaned contentedly at the giant woman’s ministrations.

Overcome with affection, Sapphire leaned down to plant a kiss on Mina’s head. But the sight of those massive lips descending on her caused the tiny girl to flinch and pull away.

“Oh,” Sapphire said flatly, feeling mortified. “What was I thinkin’? I reckon ya won’t want to be anywhere near my mouth for a while. God, Mina, I’m so sorry! I still can hardly believe that I…did that to ya. Can ya ever forgive me?”

“I…I think so,” Mina answered. “I just need time, Saph.”

“Take all the time ya need, sweet pea,” the redhead said. “Geez, maybe I should give ya a different nickname. One that ain’t inspired by somethin’ edible.”

“No, it’s okay,” said Mina. “I like it when you call me that.”

“All right. Long as it don’t bring back…bad memories.”

To say that this incident had put a damper on their relationship was an understatement. Mina still had very strong feelings for Sapphire but the little maiden couldn’t help but see her differently now. When the redhead opened her mouth to speak or yawn, Mina stared into that cavernous maw with dread. If Sapphire’s stomach gurgled, Mina felt a chill run through her. It was a complicated mix of emotions when the woman you loved was synonymous with a giant monster that had consumed you alive. Mina didn’t know how to feel.

Other thoughts troubled her as well. As she convalesced, she thought about Dancing Storm’s words. The little Nunnehi, she had said, “knows where she comes from. Does she remember who is missing her there?” It had been weeks since Mina had seen her mother. Eulalia still had no idea where she was. Perhaps if life at the saloon had gotten too hazardous, she should consider going home.

But Mina knew she didn’t want that. On the farm, she’d always been underfoot and useless, nothing but a burden. Here at Goldie’s Mine, she had purpose. She had friends. She had admirers. And she had love. Though Sapphire could be dangerous and frightening, she was also sweet and kind and gentle. She made the tiny girl feel worthy, no matter how small she was. A part of Mina wanted to be with that towering red-haired goddess for the rest of their lives.

Her heart was being pulled in two different directions. Mina had much to think about.

* * * *

Goldie’s knuckles rapped hard against the door of Diamonda’s apartment. She pounded again and again until the blonde reluctantly opened it and looked out into the hall.

“You’re done, Di,” the elder woman stated. “I want you out of here.”

Diamonda’s mouth dropped open in shock. “You’re firing me? Me?! I made this place what it is, Goldie! I was the star!”

“’Was’ being the operative word,” said Goldie. “Mina’s the one drawing crowds now. Just couldn’t take the competition, could you? You almost killed my biggest source of revenu—I mean that defenseless little girl!”

“Oh, don’t pretend like you care about her!” Diamonda said. “All you see in Mina is a dollar sign.”

“She’s made me a very rich woman, yes. That’s why I can’t have you lousing it up,” Goldie told her. “Your employment at the Mine is terminated. You have until tomorrow to pack up your things and get.”

Without another word, Goldie turned and bustled down the corridor. Diamonda clenched her fists as she watched her go.

“You’re going to throw me out over a worthless insect?” the blonde shrieked. “You’ll regret this, Sweetwater! This isn’t over! I’ll squash that little roach yet!”

* * * *

“Are ya sure about this, honey?” Sapphire asked. “Goin’ back to work already?”

She peered down with concern at her miniature love. Mina was sitting cross-legged in the palm of her hand, decked out once again in her purple dress and feathery headband. The acid burns on her body were completely gone.

“I’m sure, Saph,” Mina said. “I feel fine. It looks like we ‘Nunnehi’ are fast healers. Whatever we are.”

“We’ll find Dancin’ Storm and get some answers about that soon, I promise,” Sapphire told her. “In the meantime, take it easy tonight, okay? No crazy stunts. Just a simple dance on the tabletop and call it a day, yeah?”

As Sapphire and her tiny charge slipped onto the stage, the crowd cheered for Miss Minnie’s triumphant return. Cowboys and ranchers hooted and hollered, celebratory gunshots peppered the ceiling, and dozens of eyes were fixed on the duo of dancers. Sapphire made her way down the side stairs and into the audience, carrying Mina towards her adoring public.

“Special request from Table 2,” Opal called to them over the din. “Someone paid extra for a front row seat.”

“Then we’ll start the show there,” Sapphire said.

The redhead sidled up to a table near the front and lowered her hand, allowing Mina to disembark. The tiny woman walked to the center, swaying her little hips seductively. The cowboys got up from their chairs and tried to crowd around the table but Sapphire and Opal did their best to hold them back. 

Mina craned her head back to get a good look at the table’s occupant. But it wasn’t a burly cowhand, a dashing gunslinger, or a humble rancher who towered over her. It was a middle-aged woman in a gingham dress and a red kerchief.

“Mama!” Mina gasped.

“Wilhelmina! It IS you!” Eulalia said with joy.

The older woman reached down and snatched Mina from the table surface. She clasped her against her chest in a heartfelt embrace. Mina was half crushed against Eulalia’s bosom and squirmed about beneath her fingers. Sapphire could only stand nearby, dumbfounded. At last, Eulalia pulled her hand away and let Mina settle into her palm.

“How did you find me?” the tiny girl asked.

“The whole territory’s been buzzin’ about a dancer the size of a thumb,” Eulalia told her. “I may live out in the boonies but word gets around. Once I finally heard the story, I started checkin’ every saloon I could. Mina, why did ya run away? I’ve been worried sick! I didn’t know if ya were alive or dead!”

“I—I’m sorry, Mama,” said Mina. “I didn’t want to return empty-handed. I was trying to save up enough money to pay for the farm. And I knew if I told you where I was, you’d never approve.”

“You’re damn right, I wouldn’t!” Eulalia held up her hand, getting a better look at Mina. “Lordy, what are ya wearin’, young lady? I didn’t think it was possible for ya to wear less fabric than usual.”

“It’s—it’s my uniform, Mama.”

“For God’s sake, cover yourself, darlin’! Oh, when I think of the terrible things they’ve forced ya to do here—”

“They haven’t forced me to do anything. I wanted to. Mama, I love dancing here!”

“She’s good at it too!” Sapphire added.

Eulalia turned in surprise, as if noticing the redhead for the first time. She looked her up and down, scowling disdainfully at Sapphire’s skimpy attire and the enormous breasts spilling obscenely from her corset.

“I’m sorry, who are you?”

“Sapphire. I’m Mina’s, uh, well, ya see, I’m her—”

“My roommate!” Mina quickly interjected. “Sapphire takes care of me.”

Just then, Goldie forced her way through the crowd and stood at Sapphire’s side. She observed the scene with cold passivity.

“Is there a problem here?” she asked.

“Miss Goldie!” Mina called. “This is my mother, Eulalia Smallwood.”

“That’s right,” said Eulalia. “And I’m takin’ my daughter out of this den of sin!”

Goldie frowned. “I’m afraid I can’t allow that.”

“Excuse me?”

“Mina signed a contract,” Goldie explained. “She works for me now. And I won’t have anyone stealing my star away.”

“Tough shit,” Eulalia snarled. “I’ve been sick to death lookin’ for her. I’m never lettin’ her go again. Mina and I are goin’ home!”

With startling speed, Goldie reached out and plucked Mina from Eulalia’s hand. She held the tiny woman pinched tightly between her thumb and forefinger.

“No. You’re not.”

Eulalia tried to steal Mina back but Goldie lifted her hand higher, keeping it just out of the shorter woman’s reach. Mina’s head swam from the dizzying height. She clung to Goldie’s fingertips in terror, trying not to peer down the staggering length of her captor’s body.

Sapphire tried to intercede. “C’mon, Miss Goldie, be reasonable. She hasn’t seen her daughter in weeks. Besides, you’re scarin’ Mina!”

Eulalia made several impotent jumps, flailing her arms about and trying to grab Mina back. When she got too close, Goldie changed tactics. In one fluid motion, she lowered her hand to her bodice and dropped Mina down the front of her dress. Eulalia gasped.

“Ya brazen hussy!” she cried. 

Goldie stared Eulalia down and lightly patted her chest. “As I said, the little lady is staying with me.”

Eulalia’s eyes narrowed in anger. “Just because I’m a good Christian woman, don’t think I won’t go in after her!”

Meanwhile, Mina found herself sprawled atop the expansive shelf of Goldie’s bosom. The golden fabric of her gown formed a canopy above the tiny disoriented girl. In the dim light, Mina could see the rather intimidating chasm between those gargantuan breasts and she quickly crab-walked backwards away from it. When Goldie patted her chest, the ceiling seemed to collapse upon the minuscule maid. She grunted in pain as a mighty weight descended on her, slamming her into the surface of Goldie’s breast.

The two giant women began to grapple with each other while Sapphire tried in vain to break them up. As Goldie fended off Eulalia’s attacks, her body shifted below her miniature prisoner. The massive hillocks quivered and jiggled, bouncing the little woman upon them. Mina ricocheted between the soft pliant surface and the ceiling of fabric.

A sudden lurch sent her tumbling backward onto Goldie’s décolletage. Mina laid there for a moment with her bottom wedged in the deep depression and her arms and legs flailing above it. Another sudden motion caused the colossal breasts to slide apart and Mina felt herself slipping into the widening gap. With a high-pitched shriek, she sank completely into the valley below.

Mina slid into the tunnel of Goldie’s capacious cleavage, finally coming to rest about halfway down where the two fleshy walls met. Now each of Goldie’s movements was torture for the little woman as the curvaceous mountains heaved and collided around her. Mina gasped as the walls squeezed inward, knocking the wind out of her.

Goldie smiled as she felt Mina’s ticklish presence within her bosom. Eulalia had finally managed to thrust a hand into Goldie’s dress and was frantically feeling about for her vanished daughter. But she was nowhere to be found.

“Mina, where are ya?” Eulalia cried. “I’ll save ya, darlin’!”

“Watch the hands, madam,” Goldie told her with a smirk. “Or at least buy me a drink first.”

“C’mon, Miss Goldie, that’s enough,” said Sapphire. “Let her out.”

“A contract is a contract,” Goldie insisted. She pulled Eulalia’s arm out of her bodice and shoved the woman roughly aside. “Mina belongs to me now.”

Deep in the recesses of Goldie’s prodigious chest, Mina was still fighting. She was hot and sweaty and her ribs ached from being repeatedly squashed and jostled. She began to wriggle her way upward, pushing against the soft pink walls with her hands and feet. It took some effort but she managed to squirm her way back to the top of the fleshy crevasse. Mina poked her tiny head and shoulders out and took a breath of fresh air.

“Please,” she cried out. “There’s no need to fight!”

In response, Goldie simply placed a fingertip atop Mina’s head and pushed down until the tiny girl was swallowed up once again by her cleavage. But Mina was not about to admit defeat. As the finger retracted, the little woman wrapped her arms about it and clung tightly. Goldie tried to shake her loose but Mina held fast. When the hand was pulled upward at last, Mina was still wrapped around Goldie’s index finger like a human ring.

“Mina!” Eulalia exclaimed as she made another lunge for her. 

Goldie was getting desperate now. Running out of options, she thrust the finger into her mouth and closed her lips around it. As Eulalia gasped, Goldie slid the finger back out, sans passenger.

“Get back,” she mumbled through her squirming mouthful. When Goldie spoke, those standing closest could see a startled Mina flopping about upon her tongue. “If you come any closer, I—I’ll swallow her!”

Now the entire audience gasped. Several cowboys inched closer, ready to come to the Miss Minnie’s rescue, but Goldie cautioned them back with an accusatory finger.

“Now, let’s not do anythin’ hasty, Miss Goldie,” a tall man in a Stetson hat cautioned.

“Stay back or she’s going down the hatch!” insisted Goldie.

Eulalia was aghast. “You wouldn’t dare!”

“She’d survive,” Goldie said. “She’s done it before.”

“She’s what?!” Eulalia shrieked.

Sapphire blushed crimson and hung her head. “It…it was an accident.”

Eulalia stared at her with horrified eyes. “You people are sick! Give me back my daughter!”

Inside Goldie’s jaws, Mina found herself once again bouncing and sliding upon an enormous, rippling tongue. Every word the giant woman spoke reverberated loudly through the dark cave and caused the floor to bob up and down. The little maid’s hair and clothes were soaked in moments. Whenever the huge lips parted, Mina saw a flash of light and a fleeting glimpse of her mother’s face outside. Goldie suddenly tilted her head and Mina began to slide backwards down the slick surface, approaching the chasm of her throat.

“No!” she exclaimed. “Not again!”

Mina decided that she had had just about enough. She was tired of feeling helpless, tired of being at the mercy of these giant beings and their immense and dangerous bodies. With a fire of determination, she scrambled up the slippery tongue, grabbed hold of a row of porcelain teeth, and pulled herself upward, forcing her way through the gap. Her torso emerged from Goldie’s lips like a turtle poking out of its shell. Mina grabbed hold of the wrinkly lower lip and tried to pull herself the rest of the way out. But her labors were in vain. With barely any effort, Goldie pursed her lips and sucked inward. Mina disappeared once more, slurped up like a strand of spaghetti.

“Dammit, Goldie,” Sapphire said. “You’re as bad as Diamonda. Spit her out this instant!”

When Goldie refused, Sapphire advanced on her. “Fine. Then we’ll do this the hard way.”

The redhead cupped her hand around the back of Goldie’s head and pulled her forward into a sudden kiss. Goldie was too shocked to respond with more than wide-eyed surprise. 

Several men in the audience cheered and catcalled excitedly and Eulalia’s jaw dropped in scandalized horror. Sapphire meanwhile had thrust her tongue into Goldie’s mouth and was doing her best to locate Mina. When she found the little squirming figure, she tried to curl her tongue around her and draw her out. 

Goldie finally caught on to what was happening and began to fight back. She attempted to yank her head away but Sapphire only pulled her closer. Mina found herself battered about by a pair of writhing, gigantic tongues, each battling for supremacy inside the cavernous mouth. She was tossed roughly back and forth by the powerful muscles, an unwilling participant in a French kiss. The tongues lapped and curled around her body, coating her in such a mess of spittle, she feared she would drown. 

In a final desperate salvo, Sapphire began to inhale. Mina’s ears popped from the change of pressure and she felt a powerful suction pull her forward. With a loud slurp, she slid through one pair of lips and then another, shooting forward into Sapphire’s mouth.

The dancer’s crazy plan had succeeded—perhaps a little too well. She had inhaled so deeply that Mina went hurtling all the way to the back of her mouth. The tiny girl hit the slick wall of her throat and tumbled headfirst into Sapphire’s gullet. The redhead began to gag, trying with all her might not to swallow her miniature lover a second time. Sapphire hacked and coughed, trying to dislodge her. An involuntary wheeze sucked Mina further down and Sapphire’s eyes shot open in panic.

“Spit her out, ya painted Jezebel!” Eulalia screamed. 

She scrambled around behind Sapphire and slapped her hard on the back. She repeated this several times until Mina went flying out of the woman’s mouth. The little lady shot several feet across the room, over the heads of the crowd, and finally landed with a plop in an audience member’s mug of beer. Opal forced her way through the crowd and quickly grabbed the mug before some oblivious cowhand could take a sip.

“Gotcha, kid!” the brunette said, peering down at where the dazed Mina was floating.

Goldie, Sapphire, and Eulalia all turned and tried to push past each other. As they vied for position, Mina leaped upward and grabbed the rim of the metal cup. She hoisted herself up, leaned over the side, and bellowed with all her might.

“Stop it! All of you! If you keep fighting over me like this, you’re going to kill me!”

The women froze, unsure how to proceed. They huddled closer and stared at the tiny furious figure clinging to the edge of the tankard.

“Goldie,” Mina called to the mistress of the club. “If you had let me speak, I would have told you that I don’t actually want to leave.”

“Heartening to hear,” said Goldie.

“Ya want to stay in this awful place, Mina?” Eulalia asked. “These women just tried to eat ya!”

“In my defense, I was tryin’ to save her,” said Sapphire.

“Save her for dessert ya mean, ya carnivorous harlot!”

“Yes, Mama, I want to stay,” Mina said. “I like it here. Dancing gives me a sense of purpose. And I’ve made so many friends and…relationships here. Besides, I know Goldie’s a good person at heart. She just got a little carried away.”

“I did get a trifle overzealous,” admitted Goldie, lowering her head in shame. “Please accept my apologies, Mina. I was way out of line. But your contributions to the Mine are invaluable and I don’t want to lose you.”

“You won’t. But if I’m going to stay, you must treat me like a person, not your slave or your toy. You don’t own me, Miss Goldie. No one does. I dance here because I want to.”

“Please, Wilhelmina, don’t stay with these people!” Eulalia begged. “You’re makin’ a mistake!”

“I did make a mistake, Mama,” the tiny girl continued. “I should have let you know where I was weeks ago instead of making you worry so. I’ve been selfish. I hope you can forgive me. Tell you what— tomorrow’s our next payday. I’ll gather up my savings and come home. To visit, if not to stay. I’ve built a life for myself here and I’m not prepared to give it up. Please try to understand.”

“I…I do understand, darlin’,” said Eulalia. “Mind ya, I still don’t approve one bit. But all I want is for ya to be happy, Mina. If dancin’ does that for ya…I guess I can learn to live with that.”

“I am happy here, Mama,” Mina said, exchanging a knowing glance with Sapphire. “Very happy. Thanks for the assist, by the way, Saph. But do try to be more careful. One tour of your inner plumbing is enough for a lifetime.”

“You got it, sweet pea,” the redhead responded with a smile.

Eulalia watched this exchange suspiciously, frowning with concern. Mina knew that was a conversation best left for another day. But for now, she breathed a big sigh of relief. She sank back into the beer and floated on her back for a moment, glad the ordeal was over. At least, for now.

To be continued...

Chapter 11

A few days later, Mina found herself nestled within a saddlebag attached to the side of a colossal palomino. As promised, she and Sapphire were headed for Eulalia’s farm to pay her a visit. Mina had always been frightened of horses, with their intimidating size and clomping, deadly hooves. But from the safety of the bag, she was thankfully shielded from the enormous beast. Though the compartment was much too large for her, it had been filled with soft cloths and rags and even a few of Sapphire’s lacy undergarments. Anything to cushion Mina during the journey.

Despite this precaution, every gallop jostled her about in the recesses of the bag. Her bones were rattled by the impact of the hooves against the ground. Whenever they jumped a small creek or an obstacle, Mina went tumbling through the air to collide with a leathery wall. Riding in the bag was certainly safer than in Sapphire’s pocket, where Mina might get squashed as the woman bounced in the saddle. Still, it was going to be a long ride.

* * * *

In truth, it wasn’t as long as she feared. A journey that had taken Mina and Swiftpaws an entire night only took Sapphire’s horse a few hours. The tiny girl marveled at how much distance big people could cross with ease.

Mina felt the bag dip slightly as Sapphire lowered a booted foot into the stirrup. She heard a dull thump and felt a powerful vibration when the giant woman descended to the ground. Light poured in as Sapphire opened the satchel. Mina took a deep breath of fresh air. The redhead peered inside and smirked when she found her tiny love snuggled in a pair of her silken panties. Sapphire reached into the bag to fish her out.

Mina looked up at her gigantic beloved. She had never seen Sapphire dress so…conservatively. Her wavy red hair was bound up in a bun. Her makeup was minimal and subdued. And she was wearing a long black dress with a high collar and buttons up the front. The tiny girl realized with surprise (and more than a little disappointment) that this was the first time that Sapphire’s mountain-sized breasts were not on display. Her ample bosom was straining against the bodice of the dress but for now, the buttons seemed to be holding.

Eulalia was already waiting for them at the door of the farmhouse. “Mina! You’re home at last!”

Her mother rushed over and snatched the minuscule maiden from Sapphire’s hand. Once again, she held her tightly against her chest in a firm embrace that nearly crushed her tiny daughter. Realizing she was a bit too enthusiastic (and out of practice with handling a two-inch person), Eulalia quickly ended the hug and held Mina in her palm.

“Oh, my little darlin’! It’s so good to have ya here again!” Her giant face dipped down and began to smother Mina with kisses. Humongous pink lips covered Mina’s entire face and torso as Eulalia smooched her again and again. Mina tried to speak between kisses.

“Mama—you’re—going to—ruin my—dress!”

Eulalia’s lips disconnected with a wet smack and Mina fell backwards into her hand. Sure enough, her dress was now soaking wet with spittle. Luckily, there were spare doll clothes in the house.

Sapphire awkwardly cleared her throat and Eulalia turned towards her.

“Oh. It’s, er, nice to see ya again, miss…?”

“They call me Sapphire,” the dancer said. “But my real name is Deirdre.”

Mina peered between Eulalia’s fingers and looked at Sapphire in surprise. Her real name was a secret she shared with very few. Obviously, Saph wanted to make a good impression.

“Charmed,” said Eulalia. “Well, come on in, both of ya. The beef stew’s ready and I’ve got boiled vegetables and a heapin’ helpin’ of mashed potaters!”

Sapphire and Mina exchanged a startled look at this last part. The tiny woman made a mental note to stay as far away from Sapphire’s plate as possible.

* * * *

Mina sat at a little doll table in the center of the human-sized dining table. She picked at the portions on her miniature plate but in truth, she didn’t have much appetite. She was far too nervous to enjoy the meal. She worried about how her mother and Sapphire would react to each other and about certain uncomfortable topics that might arise.

Watching the two giantesses eat was disconcerting as well. It was always an intimidating sight to watch morsels larger than her whole body vanish down someone’s gullet. Mindful of this, Sapphire was taking demure little bites rather than scarfing down her food as she normally would. She had not touched her potatoes.

“Thank ya for keepin’ my baby safe while she’s been away, Deirdre,” Eulalia said. “Although from what I understand, she hasn’t been entirely safe with ya.”

Sapphire blushed in embarrassment. “We did have a…bit of a scare recently.”

“That’s puttin’ it mildly. Ya swallowed her whole!”

“It was an accident, honest!” Sapphire protested. “I would never intentionally hurt Mina! As soon as I realized what had happened, I got her out of there as fast as I could!”

“Out of your belly, ya mean? Where she was nearly digested alive?!”

“Now, Mama…” Mina began.

“I’m so ashamed of what happened,” Sapphire said. “Ya have to believe me, Miss Smallwood, I’ll never be that careless again! Mina’s much too precious to me. I’d do anythin’ to keep her safe!”

Eulalia eyed her thoughtfully. “Well…I s’pose I can’t be too mad at ya. I nearly gobbled Mina up myself once.”

Sapphire’s eyes went wide in astonishment. “What?”

“The poor little dear fell into my porridge one mornin’ and I scooped her right into my mouth. Came this close to swallowin’ her before I felt her squirmin’.”

Mina shivered at the memory of that incident. “Mama, you always told me that being bite-size was one of the dangers I would face,” she said. “Saph—I mean Deirdre and I will both be more careful in the future.”

“I guess that’ll have to be good enough,” Eulalia conceded. She looked Sapphire straight in the eye. “But if ya ever eat my daughter again, I’ll cut her out of your guts myself. We clear, honey?”

Sapphire gulped. “Yes’m,” she muttered.

“Good. Now, there’s somethin’ else I wanted to talk to ya about,” Eulalia proceeded. Mina’s heart began to race as she realized where this was going. “I’ve seen the way ya two look at each other and how ya act when you’re together. You’re…not just roommates, are ya?”

Mina and Sapphire exchanged a panicked look. Sapphire started babbling again.

“Um, well, uh, ya see…”

“No, Mama,” Mina said. “We’re much more than that.”

“I thought so. I remember what young love looks like.” Eulalia gave a heavy sigh. “When I first caught on, I was horrified. Make no mistake, young missies, I don’t approve. You’re invitin’ the wrath of the good Lord with your sinful ways.”

“Mama, you don’t understand!” Mina insisted. She jumped up suddenly, knocking over the doll table in her haste.

“Let me finish, Wilhelmina. I’ve struggled with this for days. While I don’t cotton to what you’re doin’, I can’t just dismiss it. Truth be told, I never thought ya’d find any sort of love. The odds of someone fallin’ for a thumb-sized gal were not good. If ya’ve managed to find a person who truly cares about ya…well, who am I to stand in the way of that?”

Mina blinked in surprise. “You really mean that?”

“I do. I’ll be prayin’ for ya in church every Sunday and hopin’ ya change your mind. But I do mean it,” Eulalia said. “What’d ya think, that I’d disown my only daughter after I’ve only just gotten her back? Never. It may take me some time to…get used to the idea. But I just want ya to be happy, Mina.”

“Oh, thank you, Mama!” Mina scurried across the table and threw herself onto Eulalia’s hand. She wrapped herself around one of the woman’s fingers in a tight embrace. Eulalia lifted her hand and held the finger and its passenger against her cheek. As she did so, Sapphire got up from the table and came around to join the group hug. She enfolded the older woman in her arms and pressed her cheek against Eulalia’s, lightly squeezing Mina between them.

“Yes, thank you…um, Mama,” the redhead added.

Eulalia arched an eyebrow. “Don’t push it, honey.”

* * * *

Trying her best to adjust to the new state of things, Eulalia agreed to let Mina and Sapphire share the guest room. She transferred Mina’s walnut shell bed onto the nightstand in those quarters but gave both women an admonitory look.

“No funny business under my roof, ya hear me? You stay in your walnut, little missy,” Eulalia told her daughter. She next cast her withering gaze on Sapphire. “And you had best not wake up in the middle o’ the night with a cravin’ for walnuts!”

“I d-don’t even like walnuts!” Sapphire stammered.

Once Eulalia had gone to bed and the duo were at last alone, Sapphire and Mina began changing into their night clothes. While Mina’s white gown was modest, the redhead’s conservative attire was gone at last. Sapphire had donned a skimpy black negligee that left little to the imagination. It seemed a size too small, barely covering the tops of her thighs, and had a plunging neckline that showed off her generous assets.

“Ah. There they are,” Mina said, ogling the giant woman’s prodigious chest.

“Who?”

“Never mind, sweetie.”

* * * *

It was well past midnight and the two women were sleeping soundly. Neither was conscious of the mysterious visitors that had alighted on the windowsill. There were several dozen tiny figures, each no more than a few inches tall. Their skin was a coppery red, their hair long and black, and they were clad in the pelts of mice, shrews, ferrets, and other small beasts of the prairie. Many of the little beings clutched tiny spears in their hands or had longbows slung over their shoulders. But the defining traits they all shared were the shimmery, gossamer wings on their backs.

If Opal had been there, her beliefs would have been vindicated. For it seemed that fairies did exist after all.

A tall, broad-shouldered fairy in a feathery headdress and a coat of prairie dog fur stepped forward. He glanced at the bedside table, spotting Mina sleeping in her nutshell.

“Excellent. We’ve found her,” the chief of the tribe said in their native language. “Just as the medicine woman said we would.”

There was a loud snore from the vicinity of the bed. The fairy chief turned and surveyed the huge, sleeping form of Sapphire. He frowned.

“Secure the giantess,” he commanded. “Give her the sleeping potion. We cannot risk her interference.”

Several fairy warriors flew across the room carrying small wooden barrels. Gracefully, they landed upon Sapphire’s face, taking strategic positions on her cheeks and chin. They split into two teams on either side of the large, plush lips, crouching down and prying them carefully apart. As they did so, their comrades poured the contents of the barrels into Sapphire’s mouth. The fairies heard the echoes of mighty gulps as the woman unconsciously swallowed the potion.

They had just finished and were about to take flight when the lips began to open again of their own accord. Sapphire’s mouth spread wide in a snore, causing a sudden rush of air. The fairies felt a powerful wind tug at their hair, garments, and wings and they fought to keep their footing. A poor soul who had been crouched upon her lower lip was drawn forward by the current and was sucked completely into the cavernous mouth. He disappeared with a yelp and the lips slammed shut behind him.

Watching from the windowsill, the chief slapped a hand to his forehead. “Someone get him out of there before she swallows him.”

The teams resumed their duties and once again pulled the lips apart (this time more nervously, fearing they would be next to vanish inside). They argued amongst themselves about who would peer within until the exasperated chief flew over to join them. He roughly shoved one of his braves aside and leaned over the gap. Several feet below, he could see the hapless warrior clinging desperately to Sapphire’s tongue. Below him yawned the black abyss of her throat.

“Well, fly out, you fool!” called the chief.

The fairy brave beat his wings ineffectually. They were already coated in a thick layer of saliva that was weighing them down.

“I—I can’t!” he screamed. His grip loosened and he slid another inch or so down the declining tongue. “Ahhh, help me! She’s going to eat me!!!”

“Oh, for the love of the Great Spirit,” the chief muttered. He spat commands to his troops. “Hold her lips open. You two, lower me inside. The rest of you make yourselves useful and start tying her down.”

The entire tribe had now flown into the room and were gathering around Sapphire’s gargantuan form. It was a warm night and the redhead slept above the covers, leaving her curvaceous figure on full display. From the fairies’ perspective, those curves were a living landscape of rolling hills and valleys. With the power of flight however, the wee warriors had little difficulty in navigating the terrain.

Flitting to and fro over her body, they dragged ropes across her arms, legs, and torso. They used tiny hammers to drive stakes into the mattress, securing the ropes in place. All went smoothly until they attempted to encircle the mountainous peaks of her bosom. That rope fell short of its mark, unable to bind the entirety of that bountiful flesh and still have enough slack to reach the other side. Instead, two fairies took off from either side of Sapphire and met at the summit of her chest to tie their ropes together. They paused for a moment atop those massive hills, feeling the gentle rise and fall of her breathing. The fairies peered over the edge and into the deep valley of cleavage below, completely mesmerized. Shaking themselves back to their senses, they resumed their work.

The fairies took no chances and began to bind each dainty finger and toe. This task also proved problematic. The twitch of a muscle momentarily trapped a warrior between two of Sapphire’s toes and he squirmed insistently, trying to break free. His compatriots yanked with all their might on the meaty digits but even these small extremities of the giant woman were stronger than they were. With a Herculean effort, they finally parted them enough for his escape. The fairy crawled away weakly from the massive foot, clutching his aching sides.

Meanwhile, a group of fairies had tied a string around their chief’s waist and lowered him into Sapphire’s maw to rescue the not-so-brave brave. Flapping his wings slowly, the elder fairy attempted to drift carefully downward. It was delicate work, for the other warrior had slid to the very precipice of her gullet. The chief had just reached out a hand to grab him when the dark chasm below began to expand. The dangling uvula tucked up into a chamber above and a rush of air began to sweep past the fairies. Sapphire was snoring again.

“The chief! Save the chief!” the tiny warriors cried. At once, they started tugging on the string and hauling him back up. The brave watched in terror as his lifeline was pulled away.

“Wait! Don’t leave me!!!”

Working fast, the warriors dragged the chief through Sapphire’s lips and retreated from the powerful suction of the snore. The sleeping giantess inhaled deeply, finally dragging the tiny brave into her throat. Sapphire began to gag and cough as his body became wedged in her windpipe. There was another hacking cough, followed by the sound of a tremendous gulp and a faint, fading scream. Still drugged and unconscious, Sapphire swallowed the offending object and moaned contentedly in her sleep.

The chief and his rescue brigade had flown off her face and landed in a heap upon her neck. They felt the titanic throat bob below them like a rolling wave as their friend was consumed whole.

The rest of the tribe stopped what they were doing and stared at the giantess with dread. Many began to shout in alarm or flee from the deadly colossus fearfully.

“Damn it,” the fairy chief swore.

“Shall I fetch the regurgitation potion, sir?” one of the warriors asked.

“Not just yet,” his leader answered. “Let the idiot stew in there for a while. That’ll teach him not to be so careless.”

It was around this time, as dozens of tiny voices were screaming in dismay, that Mina at last began to stir. She sat up in the walnut shell and stared wide-eyed at the sight before her—Sapphire trussed up like a hog-tied calf, her body dotted with miniature winged people.

Mina blinked dumbly. “What in the Sam Hill?”

Once he had composed himself, the chief flittered off Sapphire’s neck and over to the nightstand.

“Hello, young one,” he said in English. “I am Chief Black Vole. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

Mina goggled at the tiny man standing before her. He was only a head taller than she was. She couldn’t help but stare at the beautiful, prismatic patterns in his insect-like wings.

“You—you’re a—what are you?” she rasped.

“We have many names,” Black Vole stated. “The Yunwi Tsunsdi. The Spirit People. The Travelers. The Fair Folk. But the original inhabitants of these lands called us the Nunnehi.”

“Nunnehi?” Mina repeated. “That’s what Dancing Storm told me I was!”

“Ah, yes. The wisewoman,” said the chief. “She is known to us. In fact, it was she who sent us to you. She said you had many questions.”

“I do indeed,” Mina said. “For starters, what have you done to my friend?!”

“Merely a precaution. We do not trust the Tall Folk. And with good reason. Even sleeping, this one has proven quite dangerous. Fear not, she will be released when our business is concluded.”

“What business?” asked Mina.

“Providing you with answers,” the fairy chief said. He extended a hand to her. “Come. Walk with me, child.”

To be continued...

Chapter 12

Mina took the fairy chieftain’s hand with trepidation. He led her to the very edge of the bedside table and stepped out into open air. The fairy hovered there, waiting. Mina inched backward in fear though the chief did not release her hand.

“I don’t have any wings!’ she protested. “I can’t fly like you!”

“Of course,” Chief Black Vole said. “How foolish of me. One moment.”

The man gestured expansively with his free hand, releasing a cloud of twinkling dust. Mina began to cough as the dust struck her square in the face and spread over her nightgown.

“Try it now,” insisted Black Vole. “Trust me.”

Mina gulped nervously but extended a tiny bare foot over the table edge. When she hesitated to do the same with the other, Black Vole gave her a gentle tug. Mina staggered off the edge and gave a little shriek. But to her astonishment, she did not fall. The girl looked around in wonder to find that she was floating in the air, as if standing on an invisible floor. Mina gasped in shock. Black Vole continued his mid-air journey, leading her forward.

“I know the wisewoman said you are one of us, a Nunnehi,” said the chief. “That is not entirely accurate. You are not one of my folk, not exactly. But neither are you human. You are something in between. The woman who made you used ancient lore to grow a tiny being from a simple barleycorn.”

“Yes, I know that part,” Mina said. She stared down at the distant floor in wonder, marveling at her new airborne perspective.

“But do you know where your spark of life originated?” Black Vole asked. “Human alchemy can approximate a life form but you would have been no more than a lifeless husk or a mindless animal without our intervention. As you grew within the seed, your maker asked for our blessing. We agreed. You were infused with the spirit of an unborn Nunnehi. And thus was born a halfling child, human in shape but possessing the size and magical properties of one of the Fair Folk.”

Mina had been listening so intently to the chief that she didn’t notice where he had been leading her. After a few moments, they touched down gently on a solid surface formed by several narrow platforms that extended in either direction. Mina looked down and realized they were perched upon the upturned toes of Sapphire’s right foot.

“Um, what are we—?” Mina began.

“Merely taking an evening stroll,” said Black Vole.

“Yes, but why—?”

As she slept, Sapphire’s toes twitched and flexed ever so slightly. Though they were restrained by fairy ropes, their movement caused the ground below Mina to become unsteady. She stumbled for balance.

“Careful not to fall in between. These things pack a wallop,” the chief warned her, stepping over the small gap of two parted toes. Once he reached the middle, he slid nimbly down the tilted angle of the digits and led Mina onto the top of Sapphire’s foot. The girl followed in puzzlement.

“You want to take a stroll here? On Sapphire?” Mina asked.

“Why not? A sleeping giantess makes for rather lovely terrain,” the chief told her. “Now, where was I? Ah, yes. In ages past, the Tall Folk across the sea had a name for your kind, Wilhelmina. For little manikins created via magic. They would call you a homunculus.”

Mina slid cautiously down Sapphire’s instep and joined Black Vole at the giant woman’s ankle.

“Homunculus,” she repeated, testing the word thoughtfully. “Are there others like me?”

“Once there were many,” the fairy said. “Shamans and wizards learned the secret art and created numerous homunculi. In fact, our legends say that there was once a League of your people who served as spies of a great chief.”

As Black Vole shared this tale, he and Mina walked side by side down the staggering length of Sapphire’s shapely leg. They stepped carefully over the ropes that bound that mighty appendage in place. Mina frowned at the sight of her friend’s bonds but tried to remind herself that the Nunnehi were simply afraid. They did not mean any harm and had promised to release Sapphire later. Mina vowed to hold them to that promise.

“Tell me about this League,” she said.

“Within that tribe,” the chief resumed, “was a miniature woman not unlike yourself, a beauty hatched from a barleycorn. The ancestors of my people called her Princess Maia. The Tall Folk of those lands named her Thumbelina.”

“A tiny girl like me?” Mina asked. “She must have been very brave.”

“Indeed,” Black Vole agreed.

They crested the small hill of Sapphire’s knee and proceeded onto the much wider expanse of her thigh. The distance between the giantess’s legs had narrowed and Mina could see the other thigh across the gap, like a small island on the opposite side of a channel. Her heart pounded at the thought of what lay between those thighs, hidden just below the silky fabric of the negligee. She shook herself from this reverie and followed Black Vole over the pliant, fleshy ground. Each step along the soft, spongy surface caused Mina’s feet to bounce a little.

“Princess Maia is your foremother, Wilhelmina,” the chief resumed. “Though homunculi can be created in various ways, the lore of the barleycorn was passed down, mother to daughter, over many ages. The seed which birthed you is descended from that which produced the lady Maia. Or so the legends claim.”

They had now proceeded over the hem of Sapphire’s garment. The terrain had changed from soft, pink flesh to the black silk of the negligee. The fabric felt wonderful beneath Mina’s toes and she tried to concentrate on this, rather than on their sudden proximity to the woman’s naughty bits.

“You said there were many homunculi at that time,” Mina repeated. “Are there not anymore? What happened?”

“The secret was lost,” Black Vole told her. “The Tall Folk turned to the new ways of science. The old wisdom and magic was forgotten, save by a small few. The existence of homunculi and even of my own people came to be regarded as myth. Perhaps it’s better that way. We are safe from the Tall Folk if they do not believe in us and do not seek us out.”

By now, the pair had wandered onto the vast plane of Sapphire’s belly. The ground below them rose and fell gently as the giant woman breathed. The silken material was quite thin and sheer, allowing Mina to see the flesh and muscles of the massive abdomen under their feet. The tiny girl tried to draw her eyes away from this sight and back to the chief. In her distracted state, however, Mina stepped directly onto Sapphire’s navel. The fabric sank into this depression, taking the little woman’s foot with it. Mina’s leg slipped into the belly button and sank until it was buried almost up to her thigh.

Though she was still asleep, Sapphire reacted to this ticklish sensation. The muscles of her abdomen twitched and flinched. Mina cried out as the ground rippled below her. Black Vole merely hovered an inch or so into the air, avoiding the cresting motion of the belly. He took Mina’s hand once again and helped her climb out.

“Watch your step, child,” he said.

Mina was hoisted upward and stood once again upon the wide, smooth belly. She felt uneasy being so close to that enormous stomach. It was surreal to think that she had once been imprisoned within it, that her beloved Sapphire’s cute, flat tummy had nearly been the death of her. As if to remind her of that horror, the belly below them suddenly began to rumble. A powerful vibration knocked Mina off her feet and she faceplanted onto the silk. As the gurgles and grumbles ceased, Mina was almost certain she could hear a faint, muffled cry of terror below.

She blinked in surprise. “Wh-what was that? It almost sounded like a voice. Is someone…in there?”

“Only a fool who got too close,” the chief insisted. “As I mentioned earlier, this giantess is quite dangerous, even when unconscious.”

“You mean Sapphire…swallowed someone? Oh my God, we’ve got to get him out of there! We have to save him!”

“In good time,” Black Vole said with a dismissive gesture. “Like yourself, we Nunnehi are quite durable. He’ll survive.”

Hardly listening, Mina knelt upon Sapphire’s stomach and pounded her fists against the flat surface.

“Can you hear me in there?” she asked. “Don’t panic. We’ll get you out!” All too well, Mina remembered the horrific experience of being inside Sapphire. She could not bear the thought of someone else suffering the same fate.

Black Vole grasped Mina’s arm gently and coaxed her to stand.

“Leave him for now,” the chief insisted. “Our journey is nearly at an end and we still have much to discuss.”

Reluctantly, the miniature maid stood up. She began to follow the fairy chief, casting hesitant glances back at the giantess’s belly.

At last, Mina looked ahead at their new challenge. Sapphire’s colossal bust loomed before them like a pair of enormous hills. The movement caused by her breathing was more dramatic here, causing the mountainous landscape to undulate like the waves of the sea. With ease, Black Vole flapped his wings and floated up to the very peak of Sapphire’s bosom. Mina did her best to follow, trying to climb up the slope of a gigantic breast. The fabric of the negligee gave her something to grasp but the steady rise and fall caused the tiny girl to lose her balance. Several times, she tumbled over backwards and slid down the curve of Sapphire’s chest to land in a heap upon her stomach again.

Black Vole called to her from the mountaintop overhead. “The fae dust I sprinkled on you should still be in effect. Try to fly.”

Mina’s eyebrows arched at this. Fly? Could she really do that? When they had hovered across the room, Mina had been holding the chief’s hand. Could she duplicate that effect on her own?

The girl stood up unsteadily and took a few steps back on Sapphire’s abdomen. She tried not to think about the poor soul trapped somewhere below her in that rumbling stomach. Once she had a running start, she sprinted forward and leaped into the air. Sure enough, she shot upward, rising further and faster than any normal jump should take her. The laws of gravity no longer applied. Mina gave a triumphant shout as she rose past the curving wall of Sapphire’s breast.

She was so excited that she overshot her target. Mina went hurtling past Black Vole and her trajectory carried her in an arc towards the other side of the peak. She began to descend rapidly, tumbling towards Sapphire’s neckline and the imposing chasm of cleavage between those fleshy hills.

Black Vole scrambled after her and caught Mina by the leg. He pulled her back before she could tumble into the crevasse. Mina and the chief landed on one another in a heap atop Sapphire’s breast.

“Careful!” the fairy chided her. “You could get lost in there!”

“I sure could,” Mina thought. “And I’ve done so on occasion.” She crawled on hand and knees to the edge and peered into the depths of the giant woman’s décolletage. Now was not the time for spelunking however.

Black Vole stepped to the edge of the breast and stood beside her. “I have told you the truth of your origins and a little of the history of your race. Now it is time to discuss your future.”

Mina looked up at him in surprise. “My future? What do you mean?”

“I have not been entirely honest with you, Wilhelmina,” the chief said. “We are not journeying across the giant woman merely to take in the sights. I wanted to remind you of how utterly massive these folk are and how perilous they can be to people like us. Do you truly wish to spend your life among them?”

With that pronouncement, Black Vole began to slide gracefully down the curving slope. He held out his hands for balance and shot down the hill like a skier, stopping at Sapphire’s collar bone. Mina didn’t feel quite as confident and opted to sit down instead. She scooted down the slope on her bottom and joined the fairy at the base of Sapphire’s upper chest.

As they walked cautiously along the woman’s neck, Mina’s eyes were cast down at the trunk-like throat under their feet. With a shiver, she remembered what it looked like from the inside.

“You are faced with a choice, my child,” the chief said as he rose into the air and landed upon Sapphire’s face. Black Vole stood beside the woman’s nose, one foot propped atop it like an explorer resting on a boulder. Mina hastily followed, doing her best to clamber up onto the giantess’s chin.

“You could continue to live among the Tall Folk, forever at risk of being crushed, dropped, stepped on, or eaten,” the fairy said. As if to punctuate his words, Sapphire’s thick red lips parted in another massive snore. Kneeling upon her chin, Mina gazed into the black abyss of the giant mouth and felt a rush of wind tug at her hair and nightgown. The tiny girl clung to the flesh of Sapphire’s face tightly, fearing to be swept inside.

“Or you could forsake the giants and join my tribe,” Black Vole continued. “You could live out your days among people your own size with whom your very soul shares kinship. We would even craft wings for you to fully integrate you into the Nunnehi. What shall it be, daughter of the barleycorn? The choice is yours.”

Mina thought about her time living with humans. She thought of the terror of being underfoot, scurrying about like an insect fighting for life. She thought of the dangers of falling from a shoulder or a shelf or a tabletop, plunging to her death in a world built for people much larger than herself. She remembered Diamonda’s tortures and how helpless she felt when the blonde cast her icy gaze upon her. Most of all, she thought of the horrors she endured after being swallowed alive, trapped inside one of these gigantic beings unable to fight back or save herself. She peered once again into the darkness of Sapphire’s mouth and shivered with fear.

But then she thought of Sapphire herself. Not as a collection of deadly, gigantic masses but as a person. She thought of her kindness and gentility, her sweet yet bawdy personality and the way she made Mina laugh. Her heart still melted at the memories of this lovely giantess who had shown her friendship and taught her the ways of love. Mina remembered the joy she felt in being with Sapphire and the thrill of dancing for an adoring public at Goldie’s club. How could she give that up? How could she turn her back on the very things that had given her life meaning?

“I…I thank you for the offer, Chief Black Vole,” the girl said. “But I want to stay where I am.” Sapphire sighed quietly in her sleep and Mina rubbed a tiny hand affectionately over the skin of her cheek.

The fairy chief regarded her for a moment then nodded his head. “A pity,” he said. “Though not unexpected. If that is your decision, allow us to leave you with a gift.”

He whistled sharply, signaling one of his warriors to join them. A fairy brave flew over and lighted upon Sapphire’s face, clutching a small bundle wrapped in sackcloth. He handed this to Mina and quickly took off again, anxious to be away from the imposing giantess. Mina unwrapped the bundle curiously and found a collection of miniature bottles and vials. Each was filled with a mysterious liquid.

“These are magic potions made by my people,” Black Vole explained. “Not unlike the ones used by Princess Maia many ages ago. They will help to keep you safe among the Tall Folk. I can instruct you in their use if you like. First though, I suppose we should retrieve my warrior from your friend’s guts before he gets himself digested.”

The chief escorted Mina off Sapphire’s face and back to the nightstand. He barked orders to his braves in their own language and soon several little men were gathered around the redhead’s lips, once again emptying the contents of a barrel into her mouth. They loosened or cut the bonds around her head and shoulders then swiftly flew out of range. 

For a moment, nothing happened. Then the colossal belly began to gurgle and groan, more loudly than before. Sapphire’s eyes shot open suddenly in alarm and she leaned over the side of the bed, spewing the contents of her belly onto the floor. Lying in the pool of bile and half-digested supper was a small and quivering fairy. Several of his comrades flew to his side excitedly, only to recoil and hold their noses when they caught his scent.

Sapphire moaned miserably, her face contorting in pain.

“Ugh…must have been somethin’ I ate.”

After a few seconds, she peered down at the pile of vomit and the tiny figure just beginning to stir within it. Her eyes grew wider.

“Or, um, someone? What in tarnation is…?” She stopped abruptly, finally noticing the little winged people gathered about the room.

“Um...friends of yours, Mina?”

The tiny girl called to the redhead from the tabletop. “I’ll explain everything, Saph.”

“Oh, I can’t wait to hear this,” Sapphire said. She tried to sit up but found that her torso and legs were still bound to the bed. 

“Hey, why am I all tied up? Your friends ain’t kinky, are they?”

To be continued..

Chapter 13

The following night, Mina and Sapphire were back at Goldie’s Mine, ready to resume their duties. Mina danced that night with wild abandon, her heart soaring with every step. Life was good. She had the love of a beautiful woman. Against all odds, her mother had accepted them. She’d saved enough money to pay for the farm’s expenses. And after a lifetime of living among giants, Mina had finally found others her size. While she had declined a place in Chief Black Vole’s tribe, the Nunnehi had promised to visit on occasion and keep an eye on her. They had also left her with a supply of fairy potions which could be used defensively against those who would harm her. For the first time in her life, Mina no longer felt helpless.

When the show was finally over, Mina lay curled up in Sapphire’s hand, happy but exhausted. The redhead carried her lover up the stairs towards their apartment.

“You were in rare form tonight, sweet pea,” Sapphire said.

“I was, wasn’t I?” Mina answered, gazing up into those huge green eyes. “I can’t help myself. I’m just so excited, Saph. I feel like I’m living the life I’ve always wanted.”

Sapphire smiled and leaned in to kiss Mina’s tiny head. She was pleased that the little woman no longer flinched when in proximity to her mouth. The events of the previous night seemed to have boosted Mina’s confidence.

“I’m happy for you,” Sapphire told her. “I’m happy for us both.”

The redhead opened the door of their room and carried Mina within. The chamber was quite dark for the hour was late and the evening moon was hidden behind cloud cover. Sapphire fumbled in the shadows, looking for one of the room’s gas lamps.

“For the first time in my life,” Mina said, “I feel like everything’s falling into place.”

“Not for long,” called a voice from the darkness.

A tall figure stepped out of concealment, emerging from behind the door. With swift brutality, an arm swung down and smashed a wine bottle over Sapphire’s head. The redhead stumbled forward with a groan and began to slump to the ground. Mina screamed and clung tightly to Sapphire’s hand as the woman collapsed. Thankfully, she wasn’t flung across the room or crushed under the giantess’s body. Even as she slipped into unconsciousness, Sapphire had the presence of mind to close her fingers protectively around her little love. This helped to shield her somewhat but Mina still felt the bone-rattling tremors of impact as the woman hit the floor.

Shaking herself back to her senses, Mina wriggled out from under Sapphire’s fingers. She stood up unsteadily, balancing against the redhead’s thumb. As Mina recovered, the unseen figure turned on the lamp, flooding the room with light.

The tiny dancer peered up and up and up at the towering form standing over Sapphire triumphantly. It was a slender woman in a long blue dress that hugged the curves of her figure snugly. A dark gray cloak hung over her shoulders, its hood pulled up and casting her lovely face in shadow. The woman suddenly cast back her hood and shook her head, allowing her curly blonde locks to tumble forth. Mina gasped in terror.

“Diamonda!”

The blonde smiled down at her with a sinister grin. “About time you showed up,” she said.

“How did you--?”

“Came in with the audience and slipped backstage when everyone was watching the show. Even Goldie never spotted me. Stupid cow. And now at last, little bug-girl—you’re mine!”

In blind panic, Mina jumped down from Sapphire’s hand and made a break for it. She tried to run but her tiny legs were no match for Diamonda’s strides. In moments, the giantess overtook her. A huge booted foot came down in front of her with a crash, blocking Mina’s escape. The ground shook and the miniature maid fell over backward. Diamonda peered down at the little creature at her feet with sadistic glee.

“I’ve been dreaming about this, having you at my mercy,” she snarled. “I was the star here before your scrawny ass showed up! I should have gotten rid of you months ago but that carrot-topped bitch was always around to protect you. Well, she can’t save you now! Isn’t that right, Saph?”

As Diamonda ranted at her unconscious foe, Mina attempted once again to sneak away. She crept carefully past the boulder-sized boot and broke into a sprint. When the blonde titan turned back, she simply extended her leg, covering the entire distance Mina had managed to run. She nudged the tiny woman with the toe of her boot, knocking her face down onto the floorboard.

“Ah, ah, ah, don’t scurry off, we’re just getting started!” the blonde declared. “Now, let’s see, what should I do with you? The simplest answer would be to just stomp you flat like the worthless little bug you are.”

Diamonda’s colossal foot rose into the air and hung pendulously over Mina, blocking out the light. Bits of sand and gravel tumbled out of the boot treads to rain down on the petrified girl below. The foot began to descend and Mina scrambled like crazy to get away. She barely leaped to the side in time as the boot slammed down onto the floor, missing her by inches. The ground shook violently.

Diamonda laughed, clearly enjoying her game. She took a step over the tiny girl, placing a mighty boot on each side of her. Then she bent at the knees and hoisted her skirt until she was crouching above her, her dark blue dress and gargantuan body filling the sky.

“Maybe I should sit on you, feel your bones crunch under my ass. That might be satisfying.”

The blonde started to lower herself towards the floor, positioning her enormous rump directly over Mina. The little lady hurried with all her might as the mountainous posterior dropped towards her. She escaped from its shadow without a moment to spare. As Diamonda let herself fall, Mina felt the world shudder once again. This was a more violent impact than the stomp of a boot and the tiny girl was bounced into the air, hurtling forward to land in a heap several inches away. 

Mina lay sprawled on the wooden floor, groaning in pain. On either side of her were the vast walls of Diamonda’s legs, stretching into the distance. Mina forced herself back up and tried once again to run. With a derisive laugh, Diamonda brought her feet together, closing off the exit. Her tiny victim found herself trapped within a living courtyard, fenced in by massive partitions of flesh at her sides and a veritable circus tent of a dress behind her. There was nowhere to go. A shadow fell across her as Diamonda bent down and plucked her up between two fingers.

“Nah, squishing you would be over too quickly,” the blonde said. “I want to have some fun first.”

Her icy blue eyes stared down at Mina from the heavens, watching the girl squirm helplessly. Diamonda’s other hand lifted suddenly and took hold of Mina’s right arm. Her fingers released the tiny woman’s midsection to grasp the arm on the left side. Mina dangled from the giantess’s grasp like a paper doll, arms extended painfully to each side and legs kicking wildly in thin air.

“Look at you. So pathetic. I could pull your little limbs off one by one, like I used to do to flies,” Diamonda told her. “And there’s not a damn thing you could do about it.”

The blonde giant began to move her hands further apart, stretching Mina’s poor arms to their limits. The minuscule girl cried out in pain. Just as it felt as if her arms would pop out of their sockets, an ominous noise filled the air. Diamonda’s stomach growled loudly, like a fearsome dragon deep within its cave. Mina gasped at the sound and reflexively flinched. The reaction did not go unnoticed. Diamonda’s eyes lit up.

“Of course. I should have thought of that from the start,” she said. “You’re still scared of being eaten, aren’t you? It must have been terrifying when I fed you to your whore girlfriend. She swallowed you down like you were nothing. How horrific it must have been being inside her. Helpless and hopeless, just waiting to die. Well, guess what, little morsel. You’re about to feel that way again.”

Diamonda released one of Mina’s arms and hoisted her into the air, still gripping her other arm tight. She lifted the tiny girl above her face and tilted back her head. With a wet pop, the blonde’s lips parted and spread wide. Mina stared in dread and disgust at the vast cavern of Diamonda’s mouth. Past the gateway of the blood red lips, she saw rows of perfect white teeth, sharp and deadly and as long as Mina’s shin. Thick strands of saliva stretched from floor to ceiling like pillars. The slippery pink floor of the cave writhed and bucked wildly in anticipation as the giant tongue lolled about. Beyond these fearsome sights, Mina saw the shadowy abyss of an enormous throat—her ultimate destination.

A moment later, Diamonda released her victim and allowed Mina to drop into her mouth. The girl landed on the rippling tongue and began to slide. Down she shot towards the dark waiting chasm of a giant gullet. Mina shrieked.

Suddenly, the incline of the tongue leveled out as the cavernous mouth shifted position. Diamonda had lowered her head. She was not going to gulp Mina down. Not yet at least. First, she wanted to play.

The woman’s mouth was still open, giving Mina fleeting glimpses of the outside world. Hoping against hope, the miniature maid scrambled forward across the slippery wet surface of the tongue. She was just approaching the ridge of bottom teeth when Diamonda closed her jaws. The two rows of teeth slammed together with a snap. If this had happened a second or two later, Mina would have been bitten clean in half. Instead, she came to a sudden halt before the barrier of molars, stumbling backwards to land upon her rump in a pool of spittle. All light was cut off as the teeth closed, leaving Mina to fumble about in the humid darkness. Then the tongue began to move.

Just as she’d done the night Mina had fallen into her beer, Diamonda tossed the tiny dancer back and forth with her tongue. The girl crashed roughly against one wall of teeth, then another. At times, the teeth would part to admit Mina into the slimy pocket of an inner cheek. The blonde imprisoned her there like a squirrel carrying nuts, delighting at the little woman’s frantic squirming. Then the tongue was on the move again and the girl was shoved roughly back into the center of the mouth. Saliva seemed to flow in rivers as Diamonda pursed her lips and sucked on Mina’s little body like a sweet. Mina felt as if her head would explode from the change in pressure. She was unprepared for the next torture: Diamonda’s voice.

“Having fun in there, ‘sweet pea’?” the blonde mocked. The giantess’s booming voice was near deafening and the formation of each word sent her tongue flopping and dancing with Mina atop it. The little woman whimpered and begged for her life, pounding against a wall of teeth.

“Oh, quit sniveling,” Diamonda mumbled to her mouthful. “This is happening so just accept it. I’m going to eat you alive, Mina. Now, shall I chew you up into itty-bitty pieces?”

The gargantuan tongue pushed the little woman to one side, forcing her onto the hard surface of a row of lower molars. Diamonda’s upper teeth came down with stunning swiftness and pressed lightly on Mina’s body. It wasn’t enough force to chomp through her limbs or even break the skin but it kept her trapped and terrified. Mina screamed, prompting a world-shaking chuckle from the giantess. The tongue returned and swept her back to the center of the mouth.

“Nope. Where’s the fun in that?” Diamonda continued. “Just like squishing, that’s over too quickly. But if I were to, let’s say…swallow you whole like a pill...”

Mina renewed her wriggling more fiercely, fighting back impotently against her giant tormentor.

“…I could really make you suffer!” the blonde concluded. “It’d be your nightmare all over again. You’d die slowly and painfully inside me, lost and alone and forgotten. I only wish Sapphire could watch as it happens. Maybe I’ll leave her a note. A last little ‘Fuck you, I ate your girlfriend, have a shitty life,’ that sort of thing. Ha ha!”

Mina continued to bounce upon the tongue as Diamonda spoke. Despite the obstruction in her mouth, the dancer had been having an elaborate one-sided conversation. This last tirade had taken much of the fight out of Mina, flipping her this way and that and occasionally slamming her roughly against Diamonda’s palate. She collapsed in resignation and waited for the end.

“All right, playtime’s over. Time for a late-night snack,” the titaness muttered. “Do me a favor, Mina—squirm for me. I want to feel you struggle in my tummy. Think you can handle that? Well, I guess we’ll see. Goodbye, little bug-girl.”

As the huge wet tongue lifted and pressed against the roof of Diamonda’s mouth, Mina again began to slide. She tumbled downward, past the shiny teeth, below a dangling pink uvula, and into the dark gorge of the woman’s throat. The slimy walls shifted and a portal opened below to admit her. Just as she’d promised, Diamonda swallowed the tiny girl whole in a single gulp.

* * * *

Powerful muscles squeezed Mina in a vice-like grip as she slid down a slippery and all-too-familiar tunnel. Down she plunged, descending into the depths of the giant woman’s body. After a moment of freefall, she plummeted into the vast chamber of Diamonda’s stomach and landed with a splat on the fleshy wet floor. Immediately, she was hit by the rancid smell, the oppressive heat, and the ear-splitting gurgles and groans all around her. High above, Mina could hear the steady pounding rhythm of a heartbeat, one that was racing with excitement over what had just occurred.

The terrified girl burst into tears. It had happened again. She’d been swallowed alive, reduced to nothing but food. Unlike Sapphire, Diamonda had done it willingly, gleefully even. And she had no intention of letting her out. Mina was going to die in here. Unless…

The potions! Of course! In her unreasoning terror at seeing Diamonda, she had completely forgotten the fairy potions the Nunnehi had granted her. They were designed for this very purpose, defense against the Tall Folk. Grasping blindly, Mina fumbled in the pockets of her costume, trying to find the proper vial. But it was pitch black within the colossal belly and she couldn’t tell one bottle from another.

“I wish I had some light,” she muttered to herself. Suddenly, the vial in her hand began to glow with an eerie white light, illuminating the chamber. Mina gasped in surprise. Then she thought she might retch at the hideous sight that greeted her. She could now see Diamonda’s stomach in detail, the wrinkly pink walls, the writhing muscles, the bubbling acids dripping from the walls and ceiling and pooling at her feet. A few yards away was what appeared to be the melted remains of a chocolate bonbon, no doubt stolen from Sapphire’s supply.

Mina suppressed her disgust and returned to the task at hand. She held the glowing vial close and began sorting through the remaining potions, seeking one that could save her. Mina was determined not to give up. She may have been swallowed alive but “alive” was the operative word. If she was still living, there was a chance.

A thunderous vibration shook her prison as something collided roughly with the outer wall. Mina shivered. She knew that sound.

* * * *

Diamonda patted her belly with satisfaction. The bug was finally where she belonged. Swallowing her had been incredible. To consume a living person with hopes and dreams and fears, to just gulp her down whole and wriggling—it gave the woman quite a rush and a stirring in her loins. It was a shame there weren’t more tiny people she could devour. After this experience, Diamonda felt ready to gobble them up by the handful.

That said, the blonde was disappointed that she couldn’t feel much movement within her. She’d expected the little thing to be fighting for her life, pounding helplessly against the walls of her stomach. But she felt nothing. That was no fun at all.

“I don’t feel any squirming. You haven’t given up in there already, have you, honey?” she asked, slapping a hand against her abdomen a few more times, this time more forcefully. There was no response. Either Mina was dead already or she was refusing to give in to Diamonda’s demands.

“Fine! Be that way! If you won’t squirm,” she said, reaching for a bottle of whiskey on one of Sapphire’s shelves, “how about a swim?”

Diamonda popped the cork and brought the bottle to her lips.

* * * *

Mina had finally located the desired vial when she heard the muffled gulping sounds high above. There was a sound like a rushing waterfall, followed by the sudden opening of a muscular valve in the ceiling overhead. A torrent of whiskey began to pour in, sweeping Mina off her feet. She was tossed about in a swirling whirlpool of alcohol, the glowing potion vial slipping through her fingers. Its light was doused as it sank into a sea of spirits. 

As whiskey continued to flood the cavern, Mina felt it burning her eyes and searing her throat as she unwillingly swallowed mouthfuls of the stuff. The stomach walls churned around her, sending her tumbling head over feet. Waves swept over her head and the belly began to gurgle more loudly than before. Mina thrust her face above the surface of the alcohol, gasping for breath. Below the surface, her fingers grasped for a vial in her pocket. She pulled it free, hoping it was the same one she’d identified moments earlier. Whether it was or not, it was her last hope. Mina pulled out the stopper and let the potion mingle with the stew of whiskey and stomach acids churning around her.

All she could do now was wait. And try her best not to drown.

* * * *

Diamonda finished guzzling down the whiskey, having drained most of the bottle in a few gulps. She tossed it aside and let it shatter against the wall.

“How do you like that, huh?” she demanded while peering down at her midsection. She began to shimmy her torso, feeling the contents of her stomach slosh about. Diamonda laughed cruelly, imagining what Mina was experiencing inside her. It was at this point that she started to feel nauseated. 

That was surprising. Di had always been able to hold her liquor with the best of them. She remembered many a night when she’d drunk the other dancers under the table. Why would it affect her now? Was her tolerance gone? Did she need to eat something (other than a two-inch-tall person of course)? Or was that little shrimp…fighting back?

The young woman felt the bile rise in her throat. She belched several times, closed-mouthed, and tried to keep everything down. But it was no use. A wave of sickness washed over her and she suddenly found herself hunched over, spewing the contents of her stomach onto the floor of the apartment.

Diamonda moaned miserably and looked down at the mess she’d created. A small movement caught her eye. Already shaking herself off and scurrying away from the puddle was the tiny form of Mina. Di’s sickness subsided as the blonde dancer was overcome with rage.

“You little—! I don’t know what you did to me but you’ll pay for that! No more games. I’m going to stomp you like an ant!”

She charged forward in pursuit of her quarry but Mina had managed to hide herself under a nearby dresser. Diamonda dove onto the floor and lay sprawled on her belly (which was still feeling sour and groaned in protest). She reached an arm under the dresser and tried to make a grab for the miniature pest. Keeping well away from the huge grasping hand, Mina pulled another vial out of her pocket. She opened it and poured its grainy contents into her hand. Winding back her arm, she lobbed a handful of sparkling dust at Diamonda, striking her right between the eyes.

“Ow! What the hell was that?” Diamonda squinted as the dust spread across her face. She tried to rub it out of her eyes. She was about to make another grab for Mina when she suddenly began to feel light-headed. The room started to spin as Diamonda found herself succumbing to uncontrollable dizziness and vertigo. She felt a sudden rush, not a euphoric one this time but an actual feeling of wind sweeping past her. It felt like she was falling or as if the room itself was hurtling away from her.

When the feeling passed, something still seemed wrong. Diamonda looked around her. The apartment had seemingly vanished, replaced by an unfathomably vast cavern filled with titanic structures on all sides. A mountainous edifice of wood towered above her. Off in the distance, she saw the glimmer of light on a field of shattered glass. Slowly her eyes adjusted to these frightening new sights. The room hadn’t gone anywhere. It was just bigger. Much, much bigger.

A tall, slender woman suddenly emerged from the shadows beneath the wooden mountain. She was a lovely brunette clad in a sopping wet purple dress. Her clothes and skin were spattered with flecks of sickly brown vomit. The woman stared her in the eye furiously and began to approach. It took Di a moment to recognize her and fully comprehend what was happening.

“M-Mina?” the blonde stammered.

“This is for eating me, you bitch!”

The last thing Diamonda saw was a fist heading straight for her face.

* * * *

When Di awoke, she found herself on a wide, soft platform. Her vision was hazy and her head was throbbing. Looming above her was a blurry shape of humongous proportions, a shape framed by a thick curtain of red. As her vision gradually cleared, Diamonda recognized the gargantuan face of Sapphire. She looked around and realized she was in the palm of the redhead’s hand. The blonde began to scream.

“Aaaaaaah! What the hell is happening?! Why are you a goddamn giant?!! Put me the fuck down, you stupid fucking ginger!!!”

“The mouth on this one,” Sapphire said. “Can ya believe it?”

“I can,” said Mina from her shoulder. “I’ve seen it from the inside a few times.”

Sapphire reached up and rubbed the back of her head with her free hand. “You clocked me pretty good there, Di. And I understand you’ve been busy while I was out.”

Diamonda sat up in Sapphire’s hand, still gazing about her in disbelief. “What in the everlasting fuck did you do to me?”

“I shrank you. Obviously,” Mina told her. She held up an empty vial. Its rim was still twinkling with the remnants of a fine, sparkling dust. “A gift of the Nunnehi.”

“Nunna-what now?”

“Nunna-yer business, short stuff,” said Sapphire. “What’s important here is that ya tortured my little sweet pea. Tried to kill her. Ate her alive. And that ain’t gonna stand.”

Sapphire reached down with her other hand and plucked Diamonda from her palm. She held the tiny, disoriented woman in front of her massive face, staring her down.

“Ya like pickin’ on folks that are smaller’n ya, don’t ya, Di?” the redhead asked. “And ya got a weird thing about Mina being eaten. Well, whatsay we see how YOU like it?”

Sapphire brought her hand close to her bright red lips, dangling Diamonda’s minuscule form before them so that they filled her vision. The tip of an enormous tongue slipped through those lips and licked them sensuously. Diamonda went wide-eyed and began to squirm between the giant fingers in terror. Sapphire ignored her protests, tipped back her head, and opened wide. Slowly and inexorably, she began to lower the little blonde into her mouth. Di was by now in a panic.

“Saph, wh-what are you doing?!” she shrieked. “Wait, you can’t be serious! Sapphire, no! Please, nooooo!!!!”

The redhead opened her fingers and released her prey into her maw. Diamonda gave a high-pitched squeak as she tumbled in. Sapphire closed her lips and began to toss the diminutive blonde about with her tongue. She bounced her off her teeth and gums, slammed her against the roof of her mouth, curled her tongue about her, and sucked on her like candy. As she maneuvered her around, Sapphire savored every scream.

All the while, Mina watched from her shoulder, completely enthralled. She wasn’t sure whether to be frightened or thrilled by what she was seeing. She stared as her giant lover’s lips twitched, watched her cheeks expand and contract, listened to the muffled sounds of Diamonda’s terror. Now and then, a tiny arm or a little blonde head would emerge between Sapphire’s lips as she struggled to escape. With minimal effort, the red-haired beauty sucked the little woman back in like spaghetti.

When she grew tired of her game, Sapphire gave Mina a mischievous wink. With startling finality, she threw back her head and swallowed. There was a loud, audible gulp and Diamonda was gone. Mina stared in shock, her eyes tracing a small bulge as it traveled down the redhead’s throat. Sapphire smiled at the little woman on her shoulder.

“And that, as they say, is that,” she said. “I expect we won’t be hearin’ from her again. ‘Lessen she gives me indigestion.”

Her expression changed when she noticed Mina’s ashen face.

“Aw, Mina, I’m sorry, darlin’,” she said. “That must have been traumatic for ya to watch after everythin’ you’ve been through.”

“Actually, Saph,” Mina said quietly, “that was kind of sexy when seen from out here.”

Sapphire’s smile returned. “I knew ya had a kinky side.”

“I can’t say I didn’t enjoy that,” said Mina, surprised by her own words. “And I’m flattered that you’d do something so…extreme for me. But we can’t just leave her in there.” 

She reached into a pocket of her dress and removed another bottle of potion. “You’d better drink this. Cough her back up before it’s too late.”

The redhead cocked an eyebrow. “And why would I wanna do somethin’ like that?”

“She’ll die!” Mina exclaimed.

“I ain’t seein’ a downside here.”

“Sapphire, you’re not a murderer. Diamonda might be a monster but you don’t want her blood on your hands.”

“It wouldn’t be on my hands. It’d be in my belly,” Sapphire argued. She patted her stomach a few times for visual aid.

“Don’t be like her, Saph,” said Mina. “Please. I can’t bear to think of you that way.” She extended the hand holding the vial. “Spare her. For me.”

Sapphire breathed a heavy sigh. She took the infinitesimal potion carefully between her fingers. “Fine, I’ll let her out. But ya realize this means I’ll have to to puke my guts out for the third time this month. The things I do for love.”

* * * *

Epilogue

The following night, there was a new addition to the dance routines at Goldie’s Mine. Or rather an old one. As Mina frolicked across Sapphire’s person, a miniature blonde woman found herself in the palm of Opal’s hand.

“C’mon, Di, dance,” the towering brunette encouraged. “Ain’t this what you wanted? To be the star of the show again?”

Diamonda sat stubbornly in place with her hands folded across her chest. “I’m not going to dance for these slobs like some trained mouse. You can’t make me!”

Sapphire walked up beside Opal and bent down until her face was level with Diamonda. She shot the minute woman a threatening glance. 

“Dance, bitch,” the redhead commanded. “Or I may get peckish again.” She snapped her teeth a few inches from the little blonde.

Diamonda jumped to her feet and started to dance.

In between acts, Sapphire took a seat at the bar. She ordered two sarsaparillas, one full-sized and one served in a thimble. She set Mina down on the flat surface and offered her the little drink.

“Diamonda’s going to be a handful. No pun intended,” Sapphire said ruefully.

“Opal will keep her in line,” Mina answered. “She’s always been jealous of the two of us but now she has her very own tiny person to play with.”

“And a cage to keep her in, thankfully,” said Sapphire. “She still wants to kill ya, ya know.”

“Let her try,” Mina laughed. “We’re on more even terms now. Plus, I’m getting the hang of these potions. And I have you to protect me.”

“I hope ya made a good call in sparin’ her.”

“It was the right thing to do,” said Mina. “I’ve been in someone’s belly twice now. I wouldn’t wish that fate on anyone. Not even on Diamonda.”

Despite herself, Sapphire smiled. “Ya may be the size of my thumb, Mina, but ya got a heart as big as the whole territory. It’s one o’ the things I like about ya.”

“Thanks,” the little lady said. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

Sapphire bent down towards the bar and puckered up. “Love ya, sweet pea.”

“Love you too… string bean.” 

The smallest woman in the west pressed herself against her lover’s lips for a full-body kiss. Life was good.

The End