---

Daniel finished his stretching exercises and took off down the sidewalk of his suburban neighborhood. It was a perfect morning for jogging. The sky was sunny and blue. The temperature felt just right. Starting a bit late afforded him the luxury of avoiding his neighbors. Most had already left for their 9 to 5 jobs. Being a fashion designer had its perks. His working hours were whatever he wanted them to be. But of course there were still deadlines that had to be met, that is, if he weren't currently on vacation.

The morning breeze flowed through his hair while he ran down the sidewalk at a leisurely pace, jogging past large three-story homes. Daniel couldn't help but reflect on the last four months of his life, the last month in particular. It all started with a divorce. Thankfully, it wasn't one of those messy, nightmare divorces; but it was hard to call the experience pleasant. He and his wife had cited irreconcilable differences as the official reason for their parting. It wasn't a lie. They really didn't get along any more. There were reasons of course, but neither he nor his wife felt it was necessary to share those particular details with other people, certainly not strangers in a court room. They divvied up their savings and belongings before going their separate ways for good. Despite her harsh feelings toward him, Daniel didn't begrudge his ex-wife. He didn't really want to see her again, but he wished her well just the same. Maybe someone else could give her the happiness that he wasn't able to.

Their last fight before the divorce was explosive. It ended with screaming, though mostly it was her doing the screaming. She never wanted to see him again. That was what she told him. He'd tried to explain, tried to tell her how much he loved her. If she could have only understood that he did what he did out of admiration, but she wouldn't hear of it. No amount of explaining or begging would have changed her mind. So, he left. It was painful. For all intents and purposes, she had crushed him.

Three months after that, the divorce was finalized. Daniel was officially single again. But that was only the beginning. He decided to swear off relationships for good. Finding love and getting married was supposed to lead to the ultimate happiness. Those were the rules, traditionally speaking. Well, no more of that. Daniel decided to attain his own happiness, all by himself. Hoping and waiting for some stranger to come along and make him happy was nothing but a foolish dream.

Moving to 'Small Town, USA' was the first step. It was a big step. Not only did it put distance between him and his ex-wife, but he knew for sure that he would never see her again. There was absolutely no way his ex would ever willingly choose to be four inches tall. That was the end of that, period.

The thought of being four inches tall would probably scare the crap out of most people. That's fine. He couldn't blame people for feeling that way. They just didn't understand all of the benefits. He got to live in a bigger house. His money went a lot farther than it used to. Some of the other residents of Small Town even made grandiose claims, such as saving the world. Reducing was the future of human evolution, and would save the planet from mankind's wicked polluting ways. The problem of population control was solved. It wasn't long before numerous politicians were singing the praises of reducing. To hear them tell it, you'd think it was all their idea. That was fine and all, but the saving the environment spiel didn't matter much. Being rich and living in an amazing community was the real draw. It really was a community. Criminals were not allowed. Everyone was four inches tall, so they were all in the same boat. It was a little strange at first, that everyone was exactly the same height. Back in the old world, at a height of 6'4", Daniel towered over most people. His new height came with a pleasant surprise; people were generally more sociable when they didn't have to stare up at you all the time. Everyone was on equal footing, so to speak.

There was an adjustment period at first. The reduction process was effortless enough, but the resulting change in his physiology was definitely noticeable. His body felt different. It was difficult to describe. It just felt odd at first. Everyone assured him it was perfectly normal, and that it would pass.

Moving into his new home was no trouble at all. The house came fully furnished, which was a huge time saver. And shopping for furniture was never his cup of tea anyway. All that remained, was getting the supplies he needed to continue his work. Daniel was a little concerned his creativity would take a hit after being on vacation for two months. His fears proved to be unfounded. After setting up his new computer, he got right to it. Working from home felt very natural. It was a large home, large for one person at least. There were bigger homes available of course, but surely a three-story house was enough for one bachelor. He had all the space he needed for his job, and for his rest and relaxation.

Before he knew it, his late-morning jog was nearly over. He could already see his house again. There was a large commercial truck parked in front of his mailbox. It wasn't UPS or FedEX. It looked like the kind of big box truck you would see delivering appliances. A uniformed man was standing in his driveway with a clipboard. The man looked relieved to see him returning home.

"Oh good, we thought we missed you! Gotta get that huge box out of the truck before we can make our other deliveries." The delivery man held out his clipboard. "Sign here, please."

"Uh, I didn't order anything. Are you sure you're at the right address?"

"Yes Sir," the man smiled politely. "This here is a personal delivery from, hold on a sec."

Daniel waited as the man took a pair of glasses from his shirt pocket and scanned the invoice on the clipboard.

"Right, there it is. This is a delivery from a Ms. Alexandria Smith to a Mr. Daniel Carson."

"It's from my boss? She didn't mention she was sending me anything..."

"Right, well, there you go. Sign here, please."

Daniel took the clipboard and signed on the dotted line. The man hurried back to the truck where his partner was waiting at the rear. The box they were pulling out was definitely too big to fit through the front door. It would have to go into the garage.

"Let me open the garage. You'll have to leave it in there. There's no way that's going through the front door!"

He ran inside his house looking for the spare garage clicker. It turned up in a drawer in the kitchen. The delivery guys were already moving the box into the garage by the time he got there. They waved goodbye as they returned to their truck to leave.

"Don't worry, it's not too heavy. Have a nice day, Sir."

Daniel waved back as they drove off. The box took up most of his garage. Between his electric motorcycle parked on one side of the garage, and the huge box on the other, there wasn't room for much else. He pushed the clicker again to close the door. What on earth did Alexa send him? The box was longer than it was tall. There was no way to tell what was inside simply by looking at it. It was just an ordinary brown cardboard box.

"Might as well open it," he shrugged.

Daniel grabbed his favorite carving knife from the kitchen, then ran back out to the garage. Though the box was very large, it was sealed in the normal manner. A line of clear packing tape ran along the folded flaps on top. He suddenly realized he would need a ladder to climb on top of the box.

A wooden stepladder was stowed against the wall in a corner of the garage. Daniel realized it must have been another one of the furnishings that came with the house. He had neither purchased nor owned a ladder before. Setting the ladder up proved simple enough. He folded it open beside the box, then climbed up top. The cardboard seemed sturdy enough to support his weight, not that a 4-inch tall man weighed very much. He slipped the knife between the seams of the flaps, sliding it through the tape. Moving from one side of the box all the way to the other proved more of a chore than he expected. He had to drag the knife the whole way as he crawled along. Then he had to cut the tape on each side of the box. It was safe to say he had never had to work so hard to open a package. Alexa was definitely getting a piece of his mind if there wasn't something worthwhile inside.

The tape's sticky hold on the cardboard was finally severed. He placed the knife on top of the ladder, then set about the task of lifting the flaps up to get inside. Daniel moved to one side of the box, so that he could stand on a side flap while he folded over one of the long flaps. The long cardboard plank folded open, falling on top of the ladder. A metallic clang rang out from the garage floor as the knife fell.

"Great, now how do I get back on the ladder? Whatever, I'll figure it out later."

Daniel looked down inside the box. It was full of packing paper. Plain brown paper, like the kind of paper grocery sacks were made of.

"Whatever's down there, I guess I have to dig for it."

The inside of the box looked rather deep. Daniel decided against trying to climb down and risk getting trapped. Better to climb back down from the top, then maybe cut open one of the sides. Folding the long flap back over into the closed position was much more difficult than folding it open had been. Thankfully, the flap hadn't knocked over the ladder. He climbed back down, then grabbed the knife from the garage floor. It would probably need sharpening after all this cutting. Moving to one end of the box, Daniel reached above his head, sticking the knife into the corner of the box. He pulled the knife downward, then did the other corner. With that done, he folded the entire side down.

"I guess that was the easy part," Daniel laughed. "Look at all that damned paper!"

After five minutes of pulling out folded and crumpled sheets of brown packing paper, he was finally ready to receive his prize. With the flaps closed, it was too dark inside to get a good look. They were blocking the garage's overhead lights. Back up the ladder he went to fold the flap open again. Getting a package from Alexa was proving to be a real pain, something he would make certain she was aware of.

"Let there be light!" Daniel joked as he folded the long flap open once more. The ladder was no longer a concern this time around. He could drop down inside the box, and then exit through the side that he had cut open. With no lingering fear of getting himself trapped, and then having to wait for his neighbors to make the embarrassing and grisly discovery of his decomposing body, Daniel finally turned his attention downward.

"What the..."

"Why would she..."

Daniel felt his heart beating faster, too fast. It didn't make any sense. He knew what he was looking at, but his mind refused to believe it. His synapses seemed to be misfiring. What he thought he saw couldn't actually be what Alexa had sent him.

"Sh-She would never... Sh-She doesn't know about m-my... Fetishh--"

Daniel stuttered himself into a stunned silence. It was the first time in his life that he had ever stuttered. Alexa had successfully rendered him dumbfounded. He was shocked at what he saw. His knees suddenly felt weak. Daniel lowered himself, taking a seat on the side flap he'd been standing on, never taking his eyes off the shoes resting in the box below.

They were a full-sized person's shoes, a woman's shoes. The ballet flats were bigger than he was. At four inches tall, he could fit inside them. He could crawl inside... Inside Alexa's shoes...

Daniel felt himself getting hard. His jeans felt uncomfortably tight. Images of his boss flew through his mind. They'd worked together for nearly four years, almost as long as he'd been married. She liked to wear her long hair pulled back in a neat pony tail. The dark color of her hair always seemed to fit her perfectly somehow. It complimented her brown eyes and pale skin. Daniel imagined Alexa wearing the ballet flats with her typical business attire, dark slacks with a lightly colored blouse and dark blazer. She always dressed very professionally at the office. But she never wore flats... He'd never seen her in flats. Every memory he had of her was of her wearing high heels. Alexa was a tall and slender woman, nearly six feet tall without wearing heels.

"Jesus, she must be a giant now..." Daniel muttered to himself. Her impossibly large footwear only served to ram the point home. For the first time, he realized how truly small he really was.

Daniel noticed there was something else in the box that he hadn't seen before. There was a large envelope tucked beneath her shoes. Maybe there was something inside the envelope that could explain this insanity? Daniel lowered himself into the box as far as he could while still hanging from the edge of the side flap, then finally, he let go and fell the rest of the way onto his feet. It wasn't a big enough drop to cause any sort of injury. He grabbed the corner of the large envelope, and began pulling it from beneath the soles of Alexa's shoes. Even the envelope was bigger than he was, but thankfully it didn't weigh much. He dragged it out the back of the box through the opening he'd made earlier, then slit the envelope open with his trusty kitchen knife.

It looked like there was a postcard inside the envelope. No, it wasn't a postcard. It was a photograph. And there was a handwritten letter stuffed inside too. Daniel tugged the photo free from the envelope. It was a picture of Alexa sitting at her desk in her office. She must have asked someone else to take the picture for her, unless she had one of those super long selfie sticks, but there was no evidence of such a device in the photo. Besides, she wouldn't buy one of those gaudy things. Alexa didn't have one of those big clunky wooden desks that most executives seemed to like. She preferred a more modern looking desk, with a glass top and steel frame. Her legs were clearly visible in the picture. She was wearing her typical black business suit, sitting at her desk with her legs crossed. There they were on her feet. She was wearing the black leather flats that were now parked in his garage. The flats were a low cut style, designed to show off as much foot as possible. In the picture, Alexa's right leg was crossed over her left, pulling up her pant leg just enough to reveal her shapely ankle. Her right foot was suspended in the air, and her shoe was dangling from her toes. The shot clearly showed her bare heel and bare arch. The way she was smiling in the picture... He knew that smile. He'd seen it before. She always smiled that way when she was being sly. It was like she wanted him to understand that she KNEW he was staring at her partially exposed bare foot.

"This can't be real. I'm dreaming or something. Any minute now, I'll wake up in a sticky puddle."

Daniel pushed the photograph out of the way as he unfolded the handwritten letter. The letter was written on standard 8.5" x 11" paper, which was also bigger than him. It seemed everything from Alexa's world was now bigger than him. He started to read, but hesitated. Whatever she wrote to him would undoubtedly change his life. She was his boss. They'd known each other for years. Now she'd seemingly uncovered his deepest, darkest secret; not that he understood how. The whole thing reminded him of the night that he left his wife. She'd come home early from work, only to catch him masturbating with one of her shoes. The look on her face as he clumsily pulled his dripping penis out of her shoe was one of utter shock and horror. After that, they'd fought. He had desperately tried to explain to her that she was his goddess. He needed to worship her. It was a compulsion that he could not control. For five long years, she'd denied him his fantasies of kissing and licking her divine feet. He'd needed some release from his fantasies. Her only response was a slap to his face. It hurt. She didn't hold back. Even now, he could still remember the way his jaw ached the following day. But her words, her words stung much deeper than any slap ever could.

"Get away from me you disgusting freak!"

Those were the last words his ex-wife ever spoke to him. All further communication was handled through divorce lawyers. After the divorce was over, there wasn't any more communication. If Alexa's letter was anything like that, Daniel didn't know if he could handle it. But if Alexa thought he was a disgusting freak too, then why would she send him her shoes? Why would she even do something like that to begin with? He had so many questions. He had no choice but to read her letter.

"Dan, I haven't heard from you in more than a month, nearly two months now. I know that you're on vacation and all that, but it's like you fell off the face of the Earth or something. I was worried! I was so worried that I did something that I probably shouldn't have. I spoke with your ex-wife. She told me what happened. I listened to her story. I guess she thought she was warning me that you're defective or something? I think I hate her! I didn't want to say anything while you were still married, but I never liked that woman. She seriously divorced you because you masturbated with her shoe? What the fuck? Who cares? I wanted to beat that smug look off her fat little face. The way she talked about you STILL makes me mad! I don't care what that awful woman said to you. There's nothing wrong with you! I hope you don't do something stupid because of that awful woman. Don't let her ruin your life. Hurry up and come back to work. It's been hard not having you around for so long. At least call me or something, so I won't be so worried.

PS - Stop staring at the photo long enough to read the note on the back! ;)"

Daniel couldn't believe what he was reading. He was always friendly with Alexa, but never anything more than that. Her letter made it sound like she cared about him more than his wife ever did. If only he had met Alexa first, his life might have turned out completely different. Her letter said there was more, more on the back of the photo. It was hard to believe there could possibly be more. He lifted and flipped over the photo to read the back.

"These are my comfort shoes. Slipping into them after a long day in heels always feels sooo good! I hope you'll enjoy them as much as I did! Plus, driving in heels kinda sucks. Flats are way better for that. Maybe I wouldn't have to wear heels all the time if you weren't so damn tall! Ha! I included a photo of me wearing them so you'd know these really are my shoes. I'd never try to trick you or anything like that. You're taking away my favorite shoes, so now you have to buy me a comfy new pair to keep my tired feet happy. XOXO"

Two things were immediately clear to Daniel; Alexa had a huge crush on him, as difficult as that was to fathom, and she didn't seem to know he had been reduced to four inches in height.

---

It had been a full 24 hours since the unexpected delivery. Daniel did his best to avoid thinking about the giant shoes in his garage. It was totally working too! He'd hardly thought about them at all. That was a lie. It was impossible not to think about them. He'd tossed and turned all night long, hardly getting any sleep.

He headed to his kitchen and flipped on the television. Perhaps the nightly news could distract him for a bit while he ate his dinner. A pre-made salad waited for him in the fridge. The news droned on while he sat down at the kitchen table.

"Tonight, on Evening Update, we have the rare privilege of profiling a true American hero! A young college student's quick reflexes saved a reduced man from a particularly cruel fate. Please give a warm welcome to Rajesh Patel, along with his larger than life hero, Ms. Becky Henderson!"

Daniel watched a young blonde walk onto the stage to the tune of ruckus applause from the studio audience. She wore a little black dress that stopped just above her knees. Her legs were bare. His eyes instinctively followed her bare legs down to her black high heels. In her right hand, was a plastic people carrier. An Indian man sat comfortably in the center of the clear plastic box. She carefully placed the people carrier in a chair, then greeted the show's host with a friendly hug before taking a seat herself.

"Welcome, Ms. Henderson!" The host took her seat behind her oversized, polished wooden desk. "Your story amazes me! Not even out of college, and you're already righting the world's wrongs."

"Is it okay if I put Raj on your desk? I promised him he would be on camera. He was worried he would be off-frame the whole time because of his diminutive size."

"Of course! Mr. Patel is the reason we're here after all."

Daniel followed along while he ate his salad, halfway listening, dividing his attention between the TV and his dinner.

Becky opened a small door on the people carrier and Rajesh immediately climbed into her hand. She delivered him to the desk with practiced ease.

"Her soft feet saved my life!" The little man shouted excitedly in a thick accent.

"He's been practicing that all week," Becky laughed. "We're teaching him English. He's such a little sweetheart. My friends and I were so sad when we heard his story. We decided to take him in. He lives with us now."

"Is it hard taking care of him?"

"Not at all! We all share the responsibility. Honestly, the little guy doesn't need much. We enjoy his company."

"We've all seen the viral video; with Lisa, Mandy, Beth, and yourself. I still can't believe you were live streaming to social media when all of this played out. We'd like to hear more about the events leading up to the incident, and how Rajesh is doing now."

"If it's alright Megyn, I'll tell Roj's story. His English is still very rusty. I promise they're all his words, only translated. We were told the whole story at the police station when we gave our statements."

"Understood, Mr. Patel can stop you if you get anything wrong." Megyn prodded Rajesh gently with her finger. "Don't cut her any slack just because she's a cutie!"

"Okay, so like; Lisa, Beth, Mandy, and I all go to the same college. We all live in the same house near campus that we're renting together, y'know, until we graduate. We do online vids of our fashion collections, makeup tutorials, and stuff like that. People tune in, don't ask me why, absolutely everybody makes these vids now."

"It's probably because you're smokin' hot!" Megyn interrupted. She signaled the audience which brought a round of cheers.

"Well, anyways, my friends and I had just ordered a bunch of stuff online, and we were doing a haul party vid. Y'know, typical boring college girl stuff. But then I was about to take a walk around the living room in my new heels when I felt something weird under my foot. I kicked off my shoes, and THAT little guy fell out!"

Becky pointed at Rajesh.

Daniel dropped his fork on the floor. Suddenly he forgot all about his food. All of his attention was focused on Becky.

"So after Raj rolled out of my shoe, we all lost our shit! Oops, sorry! Can you bleep that?"

"It's okay," Megyn chuckled, "please continue."

"Everyone was checking inside their shoes for more little people. Mandy started yelling at me, telling me that I probably squished him with my huge foot. Lisa kept poking at him with her big toe. I think she was trying to wake him up by nudging him. And Beth, thank God for Beth, she went and got him some water. I just sat there and cried, thinking about what an awful person I was for crushing a man to death. The last thing he ever saw was the bottom of my foot. I couldn't get that out of my head! Then Beth literally threw cold water on me, and told me he was still alive."

"Incredible, what a riveting story! What did you do next after all of you came to your senses?"

"Beth called 911. If you ask me, Beth is the real hero. I did ride with Raj in the ambulance. Later a detective interviewed him at the hospital via a translator. It was a horrible story."

"Take us through it if you feel up to it." Megyn encouraged.

"I do," Becky sniffled, "I want to tell you his story. I'll be strong, for Raj. He worked at one of those large sorting facilities for a global online retailer, the same retailer I bought my new shoes from. The facility in India where he worked was basically a sweatshop. His female boss decided he wasn't working hard enough, so she punished him by having him reduced. Then she put him in my shoe, sealed up the package, and shipped him out to me."

"That Bitch!" Megyn interrupted. "Bleep that one too boys." She covered her mouth briefly in an exaggerated oops gesture. Her outburst brought a faint smile to Becky's sad face.

"That terrible woman wanted him to die, in my shoe. I was supposed to be his executioner! She wanted me to step on him, to trample him to death. Can you believe that? Why are there people like that?!"

"I don't know, Becky. I do not know." Megyn handed her a compact package of tissues. "You're very brave to come on national television and talk about this. I know it isn't easy."

"Pretty Becky save me, with soft feet. Becky loves Rajesh! I forgive. Not Becky's fault!"

"Amazing, not a single mean bone in his little body!" Megyn signaled the crowd for applause again.

"I do love you, Raj." Becky reached out her finger to stroke Rajesh's back. "I was so relieved when the doctors at the hospital told me that I hadn't hurt him. All he needed was food, water, and plenty of rest to recover from his long journey overseas."

"Give me your hand!" Megyn took Becky's hand, holding the young woman's hand in her own, while rubbing the top of Becky's hand supportively with her other free hand. "Thank you, Becky Henderson! Thank you for existing. I wish we could clone you."

Becky turned a little red, but didn't pull away from Megyn.

"Can you demonstrate for us what happened that day? Is that too scary? I know I'm putting you on the spot..."

"That's a question for Raj. I'm okay with a demonstration if he is."

"What do you say Rajesh? Will you make our viewers happy?"

Applause erupted from the in-studio audience. Some of them were chanting Rajesh's name.

"I trust Becky." he quickly blurted.

"I told you... He's such an unbelievable sweetheart!"

Becky reached down and removed her shoe.

"You're in luck, these are the same high heels from the video. That should make the demonstration more accurate."

She held the black snakeskin pump up for the camera, before lowering it toward Rajesh. He hopped inside without hesitation.

"Wait, so you're telling us that's the same shoe Rajesh was trapped in for nearly a week while he was shipped overseas? I wouldn't think he'd be too excited about going back in there!"

"This is how I met Ms. Becky!" Rajesh called out from inside her high heel.

"Okay folks," Megyn stared directly into the camera, "you heard him. No complaints from Rajesh. Carry on!"

"I'll show you exactly how it happened. I took the high heels out of their shoebox and placed them on the floor in front of me, like this."

Becky lowered the pump holding Rajesh to the studio's hardwood floor while she slipped her other foot free from its shoe. Viewers were treated to a floor-level shot of her shapely bare feet. Her purple lacquered toenails almost shimmered in the studio's bright lighting.

"Raj was lying in my shoe, unconscious. I didn't notice him. I was too distracted by my friends. We were all laughing and chatting."

The camera zoomed in on Becky's empty shoes, showing a clear HD picture of Rajesh lying on the right pump's insole.

"First I slipped on the left shoe, like this, then I unknowingly put my right foot onto Raj."

Rajesh disappeared from view as Becky's toes dipped down into the mouth of the dress pump. Then her heel lowered into the shoe with an audible whoosh sound as it forced some air out of the pump.

"So at this point," Megyn asked, "you had no idea there was a reduced man under your foot?"

"No, he wasn't moving. And the shoes were new so I wasn't used to them yet. I didn't realize anything was wrong at first. My friends were still talking to me. They were trying on their new shoes too. I crossed my legs, like this."

Becky raised her right leg over her left as she sat back in the chair, elevating the high heel holding Rajesh into the air.

"I got comfortable while I watched my friends flipping out over how much money they saved on their hauls. I must have worn him in my shoe like this for at least half an hour."

"Wow, you're like a real life Cinderella or something, but instead of a glass slipper, you got Rajesh."

Becky laughed at Megyn's corny joke. "Trust me, Raj is way better!"

"Tell us what happened next."

Becky uncrossed her legs and placed both of her feet flat on the floor in front of her as she leaned forward.

"I'd been sitting for a while, when I finally decided it was time to try walking in my new heels. I leaned forward like this, and was in the process of standing up when I felt something moving inside my shoe. It felt like there was something alive under my foot! So I screamed, like any girl would, then I kicked off my heels. The shoe with Raj in it landed on its side. He rolled out onto the carpet. Then all my friends started screaming too!"

"Aren't you going to take Rajesh out of your shoe now," Megyn asked.

"Nah," Becky smiled as she sat back in her chair and recrossed her legs, "he's fine where he is for now."

Megyn leaned over her desk. "You okay down there, Mr. Patel?"

A muffled voice came from inside Becky's right pump. "Ms. Becky has soft feet!"

"There you have it folks, a perfect fit! Cinderella's little glass slipper approves."

The audience laughed and applauded while Becky smiled and gently bobbed her right foot.

Between the craziness on the TV and the craziness in his garage, it was getting harder and harder to recognize what was normal any more. He could hardly believe his eyes. Was this still real life? That young woman was actually wearing a man inside her shoe! It was a live show, not edited or scripted. It wasn't some kind of trick or illusion. Everything kept changing. The world was changing so fast. Daniel clicked off the TV.

Without even realizing it, he wandered out into the garage. He'd never really thought much about Alexa's feet before. Sure, she was beautiful. He'd glanced at them from time to time. That was just part of being a foot guy. But at the time, he was married, devoted to his wife. Now everything was different. He couldn't think about anything EXCEPT Alexa's feet.

Her shoes were right there. Right freaking there! And that picture she sent him was so damn sexy. She knew what she was doing to him. It wouldn't be wrong to have a look inside her ballet flats. She was practically daring him. He could try to resist. He should just send them back. No, she might feel rejected if he sent them back. After a declaration like hers, he couldn't possibly reject her. He'd never do that to Alexa.

Curiosity finally got the better of him. He'd never been inside a sexy woman's shoes before. When would he ever have such an opportunity again? Probably never. One little peek wouldn't hurt. There would have to be ground rules though. These were Alexa's shoes. He would respect them. They would be treated with care. That meant no ejaculating in them. Whether she cared or not, he wanted to be a gentleman. He would think of a way to respectfully return her shoes later on without hurting her feelings. Alexa was more than just a pretty pair of feminine feet. When she got her footwear back, there wouldn't be any nasty stains inside.

Looking at Alexa's flats, he couldn't help but wonder about the places they had been. Where might she have taken them, carrying them with her powerful feet. How many trips had they been on to the grocery store, the dry cleaner, or the hair salon? Had she ever danced in them? Had they gone with her on dates? If they could talk, what stories would they tell of Alexa's feet? Would they have fond memories to share? It was difficult to fathom an entire lifetime beneath her soles. They had experienced a closeness to Alexa that no person ever could. Surely her footwear held intimate secrets that would never be revealed.

Each of the flats had an ornamental buckle on the toe, a stylish splash of silver to contrast the black leather. He approached the side of her left shoe. Its supple wall came up past his waist. Daniel took off his shoes, as if he were about to enter someone's home and walk on their expensive carpet. He pulled himself up and over the leather wall, dropping down into her waiting shoe. The soft leather cushion felt nice under his bare feet. He wondered if it was as comfortable for Alexa.

The shoes were aged by countless footsteps. Only partial lettering remained on the insole's black leather cushion, emblazoned in a eye-catching gold font. Most of the letters were worn away, rubbed off by Alexa's sole, leaving the designer's label indeterminable.

The inside of her flat smelled of leather, there were also hints of perfume and lotion, and a detectable aroma of tobacco lingered in the air. It was a mingling of fragrances. Although he had quit smoking years ago, he still enjoyed the aroma of a quality brand. Naturally Alexa would never smoke anything cheap. She enjoyed a few long drags at the end of the day. He'd seen her in the building's parking garage a few times at night, enjoying her nightly smoke. The faded smell of cigarettes made him think of her standing there, savoring her daily treat as the work stress melted away. Beneath all the feminine fragrances; the lotion, the perfume, the bodywash; there was something delightfully foul. It was a musty scent unique to Alexa, a fragrance all her own.

The size of the shoe was printed on the wall, faded but still legible, 'US Womens 8'. It always amazed him how Alexa was so tall, but had such small narrow feet. The thought of her feet being small seemed humorous now that he was literally standing inside her giant shoe.

He swore to himself that he would never tell Alexa about exploring her shoes. He'd never admit to it. She didn't need to know. It would only embarrass her. It would most certainly embarrass him. He felt like Alice exploring Wonderland. Her shoe was the most amazing thing ever. He was trespassing inside a forbidden place that was meant only for Alexa's foot.

The cushioning inside the shoe had held up remarkably well over time. There wasn't a deep impression where her heel would rest. Somehow it still managed to resist the crushing weight of her mighty foot. At the opposite end, deep inside the mouth of the flat, there were visible toe prints. The padding looked noticeably thinner in there. As he approached the deepest depths of Alexa's shoe, the unique aroma of her toes rose to the surface, overpowering the many other fragrances. He fell to his hands and knees, crawling into the furthest recesses of her footwear, burying his face in her toe prints. It was the scent of a goddess. The slightly sour, slightly cheesy odor filled his nostrils. He breathed it deeply, savoring the gift left for him by her bare toes. With every powerful step she took, they rubbed their special fragrance into the insole. Daniel was jealous of her shoes. He wanted to be under her sexy feet too.

Shit! He had already broken his own rules. His cock jerked violently in his pants, spraying the inside of his underwear. He flopped around in her toe prints. The orgasm was so strong he lost control of his body. His face was involuntarily thrust forcefully into the impression left by her largest toe. The smell was strong. It increased his pleasure to new heights. He was just a helpless bug, rolling around in a woman's discarded shoe. Unlike her sturdy footwear, he couldn't possibly hope to survive even a single one of her footsteps. As his passion waned, he imagined Alexa tearing the roof off his house and reclaiming her lost shoes. She wouldn't give a second thought to the foolish little man inside her ballet flat, smushed beneath her mighty toes.

Daniel rolled onto his side, spent. The tank was empty, and he was exhausted from a poor night's sleep. Tucking his arm under his head, he already felt sleepy. His eyelids grew heavy. The insole made for a surprisingly comfy mattress. He drifted off to sleep inside Alexa's shoe.

---

Daniel sat in his work room, in front of his computer. It was actually his phone, the same one he had owned for the last year and a half. Now that he was only 4 inches tall, his smartphone was basically a large screen computer. He touched the phone icon, slid the screen over to contacts, selected Alexa from the list, and then tapped the video call icon. The process took a bit longer when he had to move his whole arm instead of just the tip of his finger. He waited patiently while it rang, thinking maybe she was busy. It's not like she was sitting around waiting for his call.

The screen lit up with a live feed of Alexa in her office. Her right hand was primping her hair, but quickly dropped down onto her desk. It looked like she had just finished applying a fresh coat of lipstick. Her moist burgundy lips glistened in the well lit office.

"You look really nice, Alexa." Daniel smiled warmly into the front facing camera.

"What do you have your camera resolution set at Dan? You look like you're sitting really far from your phone?"

"Who knows? I must have screwed up the settings. I'll fix it later."

"Whatever, I'm just glad you finally called. Feels like I've been waiting forever. I thought maybe you didn't want to talk to me..."

"Sorry I didn't call sooner. I got your package, and the letter you wrot--"

Alexandria quickly interrupted him. "I meant every word."

"I know, Alexa, I know you did. I wasn't prepared for that. I'm ashamed to admit that I never realized you had such strong feelings for me."

"You don't have to apologize for anything. There's nothing that you need to explain. I should have said something about the way I felt a long time ago. Maybe I could have spared you some of the pain that awful woman caused you."

"I really am sorry that I didn't call you sooner. I didn't know what to say. And I was afraid I would end up saying the wrong thing, or just saying something stupid. But I guess I did something even worse, I probably made you worry."

Daniel noticed a small bag of pretzels in the frame of the picture. He knew from experience that Alexa was a nervous snacker. It must have had something to do with her high metabolism. Whenever she got nervous, the snacks came out. Sometimes it was fruit or candy, she did seem to favor pretzels and trail mix.

"Did you, y'know, like them?"

He knew immediately what she meant by 'them'. Obviously she was referring to her shoes. He watched her lift a small pretzel to her mouth, then slip it between her burgandy lips. The pretzel disappeared and was replaced with an audible crunching. She was staring expectantly at him, awaiting his answer.

"I-I didn't actually d-do anything."

Her expression changed slightly, which made him feel even more awkward. Was she disappointed? Did she really want to hear that he made love to her shoes?

"Don't get me wrong! I wanted to! I really did! But I felt so guilty, like I was taking advantage of you. And you said they were your favorite shoes... Honestly, I was thinking of sending them back to you. I don't deserve your kindness."

Alexandria slammed the pretzel she was holding down onto her desk, breaking it into pieces.

"No way! You're not doing that! It was my decision to send you those shoes. I knew what I was doing. You can't send them back, because I won't take them back. They're yours now. You can do whatever you want with them."

"But, wait, I did have a dream!"

"Oh yeah? About me?"

Daniel noticed a smile forming. He wasn't getting out of this now. He'd known her long enough. She wanted details. If there was one thing Alexa enjoyed, it was being the center of attention. Some people would label that a personality flaw. He always thought it was enduring. What good was a goddess who didn't want to be worshipped?

"Well, you see, I was crawling around inside your shoe. I mean, like I was actually inside your shoe. I was small enough to fit inside your ballet flat."

"Whoa, that sounds super kinky! Go on."

Daniel watched her lift another pretzel to her mouth, her fingernails were painted the same shade of burgundy as her lips.. Even though she appeared relatively normal-sized on the screen in front of him, he knew that he was actually looking at a giant. At his new height of four inches, to say that Alexa would tower over him would be a bit of an understatement. The pretzels she was eating were about the same size as him. They slipped effortlessly between her moist lips, quickly mashed to a sticky pulp by her powerful teeth. He was small enough. He could easily be one of those pretzels. After a quick smack of her soft, wet lips, he would disappear from the world. There would be nothing left of him outside her stomach, unless some part of him managed to get stuck in her teeth. Daniel observed a slight lump traveling down her throat as she swallowed.

"There's more, right? It seemed like there was more to the story."

"Oh right, sorry, I spaced out. So, I was inside your shoe. I was exploring every nook and cranny of your ballet flat, too busy thinking I was the luckiest guy in the world to notice what was going on outside the shoe."

"What? What was happening? What were you doing inside my shoe?"

"I was kissing the insole, where your footprint was worn into the cushion. I rubbed my face in your toe prints."

"This was just a dream? You were really getting into it!"

"I know but, then there were these tremors, like earthquakes or something. I looked up, and you were sitting above me in your office chair. You were huge, like a giant, but I guess you were actually the same size you always were. I was just really small."

"What happened next. Did I see you in my shoe?"

"I think you were getting ready to go home for the day. You raised your right leg and pulled off your high heel, then you rubbed your foot with both hands. I finally realized I was inside your comfort shoes under your desk, and you were about to put them on and leave."

"Did you jump out of my shoe? Or maybe try to get my attention?"

"I was too busy panicking for anything like that. I just laid there and watched as you slipped your bare foot into your right shoe. It turned out I was in the left one. You brought your left foot up to your lap, pulling off your other high heel. I knew you were about to step on me, but I couldn't move. I was paralyzed. You lowered your foot toward your shoe, not knowing I was inside. Then you squeezed your foot in on top of me. I was pressed into the cushion by your sole. Everything was still okay. It was a little cramped, but I was still alive. Um, your feet were a little stinky, but I swear it didn't bother me. I actually kind of liked it."

"C'mon, what do you expect after a long day in heels? I'm only human!"

"But then you slid your chair back and started to stand up. It went from being cramped to being trapped in a vice. The pressure on me was unrelenting. I don't know how long you stood there before you took your first step, but I was being crushed and smothered at the same time. Then your foot lifted and swung forward. I felt your weight rolling over me as your shoe touched down. My body collapsed under your footstep. I popped. Then I woke up."

"Eww! I squished you? But that's so gross! I don't like that ending. I don't even step on bugs. I'd never do that to an actual person."

"It was only a dream. The dream version of you had no idea it was happening. You weren't trying to step on me, not on purpose. When I woke up, I was having a raging orgasm. It was like I was a teenager again, crushing on my high school sweetheart. I haven't had a wet dream like that in ages."

"Now THAT's a happy ending!" Alexandria laughed.

"Now that I think about it... That's the first time I've ever fantasized about anyone other than Stephanie. You managed to force your way into my dreams. Then I couldn't stop thinking about you all morning, so I had to call. I just wanted to see you again, for real. You know, not in a dream, but for real."

"That's sweet. You could see me every day if you didn't move all the way out to Nevada. Where is 'Small Town' anyway? Is that by Vegas or something? I have no idea why you'd move all the way out to the middle of nowhere. Are you hunting for aliens out there in the desert?"

"I guess I wanted to get away from it all. The past few months were so tough. I felt so alone after Stephanie kicked me out. Then I got your letter, and it turned my world upside down. I felt so bad. I should have talked to you before I moved out here. I wish I had done things differently. At the time, I didn't want to burden you with my personal problems. Now I realize I was being stupid. I shouldn't have shut out the world. I shouldn't have shut you out."

"Listen mister, that's enough of the pity party. You make it sound like you're dead or something. Geez, just come back already!"

"I know, you make it sound so easy, but there's something I need to tell you first--"

"I get it. I get it. You're in love with my feet. I told you already; I don't care if you have a kinky side. I don't know why your ex-wife was so afraid of a good foot rub. Her loss is my gain! Anyway, I hate to do this to you, but I'm stuck in meetings all afternoon. I have to go. Oh, and I'll be traveling for the rest of the week. We have lots of potential clients I have to meet with. You know how it is. I do the legwork, and you do the brainwork. I need new material for those new clients, so I hope you've been working on something while you were away. Let's see, it's Monday. I should be back by Saturday. You better call me this weekend! Gotta go! Hugs and kisses, bye!"

After a few short beeps, Daniel was left staring at the blank call screen. Just like that, Alexa was gone from his life again. His phone was now his only window into her world.

"But, I was trying to tell you that I'm only four inches tall now..."

He buried his face in his hands. "What have I done?" The phone beeped again, lighting up with a new text message.

'PS - U better order my new comfort shoes!!! I mean like right now! I can't wait any longer... I'm dying here... My feet aren't happy! :..('

---

Daniel felt like he was waking from a very long dream. His head felt like someone had hit it with a hammer. He yawned loudly, but it came out as some kind of ghastly groan. It was not a pleasant sound. A quick look around turned out to be a waste of time, his vision was blurry. Turning his head led to the unfortunate discovery that his neck was stiff and sore. He couldn't remember drinking anything the night before. It was hard to understand why he suddenly had the mother of all hangovers.

"Looks like sleeping beauty is finally awake..."

Daniel recognized that sardonic tone. Even though he was still groggy, he knew it was Alexa. He raised his head to look in front of him, fighting the aching pains in his neck, but didn't see anyone there.

"Up here, champ."

Daniel looked up, and up, until he saw her blurry face. It was the biggest face he'd ever seen. "W-Where am I? How are you here?"

"You're in a hospital, in Vegas. Don't try to move around too much. They have you hooked up to all these tubes and wires. They told me all the stuff they're pumping into you, but I forgot most of it."

"Wait, I'm not in Small Town? This is-is a normal hospital?" Daniel's eyes were starting to adjust to his surroundings, but his vision was still a bit blurry. Rubbing them seemed to help a little.

"Turns out I'm your emergency contact. I guess you changed it from Stephanie to me. That was definitely a good call. Anyway, they contacted me and told me you were in the hospital, so I cut my business trip short to fly out here."

"You shouldn't have done that! I just have a bit of a cold or something. It's no big deal."

Alexandria waited for him to finish a raspy cough. "You have the flu, Dan. I'd been texting you for a couple of days, but you never replied. When the hospital called, I nearly had a heart attack. They said you collapsed in the grocery store? The hospital in Small Town wasn't equipped for serious cases or something like that. You've been here ever since."

"I don't remember any of that. Wait. What day is it?"

"It's Friday. I got here yesterday. I actually spent the night in that chair right there. It wasn't very comfortable. A nurse tried to tell me I had to leave. I didn't say what I felt like saying, but I think the look I gave her made my feelings pretty clear. Scared little thing scurried off somewhere far away from me."

Daniel was pretty sure he knew where the conversation was inevitably headed. He'd been chewed out by Alexa before, but not by the new larger than life Alexa.

Alexandria leaned over the hospital bed's railing, lowering herself closer to Daniel. "When we spoke on Monday, I think you forgot to mention something important. If you had said something, I think I would have remembered. I would recall you telling me that you're four fucking inches tall now!"

"I tried to tell you, but you hung up too fast!"

"I told you not to do anything stupid! I know I told you that. I even wrote it down! I put it in that letter I sent you. I wrote, 'Don't do anything stupid, Dan.'"

"I know Alexa, but I didn't get the letter until after I moved. It was already too late!"

"I'm so mad right now! You don't even know how pissed I am." Alexandria raised the back of her hand over Daniel menacingly. "I just want to smack the shit out of you for being so stupid! If you weren't so sick, I'd make you feel how angry I am right now. You're lucky that you're already in the hospital." She pulled her hand away from him, gripping the railing of the bed with both hands. There was an audible squeaking as she tightened her grip on the metal rail.

"I'm sorry! I know that I'm stupid. I never wanted this. This is why I moved away, so that no one would have to put up with me any more. Go on and hit me like she did. Tell me I'm a freak and leave me here. I deserve to be alone. I just keep hurting the people I love."

"Stop it, Dan. Don't do that. Stop crying." Alexandria gently lowered her index finger to his chest, tenderly moving the tip of her finger in small circles. "Please Dan, I promise I'll stop giving you shit. You have to stop that or I'll... I'm barely holding it together here!" The sight of his tears stirred something deep inside her.

Daniel felt drops of rain splashing on his legs and chest. How was it raining indoors? An upward glance revealed the source, tears were rolling down Alexandria's pale cheeks. Her dark brown hair looked a bit disheveled, probably from a poor night's rest.

"Jesus, Dan, look what that evil bitch did to you. Why didn't you call me? I would've dropped everything! You didn't have to go through all that shit alone. You're SO stupid!"

Her quiet sobs hurt him more than any flu bug ever could have. Alexa was a strong woman. He'd never seen her cry before, not once in four years. It was like a dam burst behind her brown eyes. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and console her, but that was something he'd never be able to do again. Instead, he grabbed her finger with both hands. It was the only thing he could do.

"Please don't cry Alexa."

"This is so frustrating! All I want to do right now is pick you up and hold you, but I can't because of all these stupid tubes and wires sticking out of you. I wanted to lay in the bed with you last night, but they said I couldn't. There's plenty of room, but they said I might roll over in my sleep. I just want you to get better so we can go home."

He grabbed her finger tighter, as tightly as he could. "I feel better already. I can't believe you came. I thought I'd never see you again."

"Of course you thought that," she sniffled, "because you're stupid. Why are you all wet?" She raised her free hand to her cheek. It felt slick. "Oh geez, look what I did now. I made a mess. I got you all wet." She wiped at her damp cheeks with the back of her free hand. Then she plucked a tissue from the box on the table beside the hospital bed. Wiping the sheets covering Daniel with the tissue only seemed to spread the moisture even more. "I can't do anything right." She quickly abandoned her futile attempts to dry him off, in favor of dabbing at his glistening cheeks with the tip of the tissue.

"I'm sure I'll be better in a couple of days. Then I can go home, and get back to work. And then you won't have to worry any more."

"You're not going back there. You're not going back to Smallville."

"It's Small Town. That's where I belong now."

Alexandria pressed her finger into his chest, making him squirm uncomfortably. "You know what I meant. You're not going back there." She pressed down on his chest once more before letting up. "You're going home with me. I'm not about to let you live all by yourself in isolation like some hermit. That's not happening."

"B-But you're big, and I'm small."

"Maybe you should have thought of that before you pulled this little stunt. You thought you could get rid of me that easily?"

"But I can't! I can't live in your world."

"Dan, you're wasting your breath. I don't care what you say. My mind is made up. Now close your eyes."

"Do what? Why?"

"I brought you something special from New York. But I want it to be a surprise, so close your eyes." She waited until his eyes were shut, before leaning in closer. "I've been waiting four years to give this to you. Can you guess what it is?"

He could feel her warm breath on his face. Defiantly, he opened his eyes to peek. Her massive lips hovered over him blocking out everything else. He watched her pink lips move as she whispered to him.

"It's me."

His face melted into her warm, puckered lips. Her kiss smothered him in heavenly softness. Her plush lips squeezed his face, threatening to consume him. It was over in an instant, a mere flash of ecstasy. Her lips pulled away, leaving him wanting more. They hovered less than an inch from his face, but just out of reach. He could still feel her warm breath.

"You shouldn't do that. You might get sick too."

"Your tiny germs can't hurt me, but if you do somehow get me sick, I'll step on you."

"Sure you would..."

"Now get some rest. The doctor said you could check out of the hospital the day after you woke up. We're flying back to New York tomorrow."