Fulda’s heel hit the wooden floor with a crash, sending powerful waves through my prone body.  Her huge foot loomed over me, and the black nylon clinging tight to it distorted the details of her broad, calloused sole.  It blocked my view of anything else, essentially becoming my ceiling and casting me in its shadow.  I looked up at it with wide eyes and wanted nothing more than to get out from under it but knew I was trapped.  There could be no escape from Fulda’s tremendous foot, and I had come to terms with it.

She slowly swung her foot down, and I suppressed a scream as it descended.  Fulda’s sole set down atop me and she applied pressure, pushing the immense surface of warm, supple flesh around me.  The nylon grid pressed into my exposed skin, forming a thin layer between myself and the colossal foot that trapped me in every direction.  It was tight enough that I could not even get my arms up to vainly push against it and could only squirm beneath it, fighting to keep an air pocket open.

It lingered for a while, keeping me pinned between the increasingly hot skin and the plank of lacquered wood.  Fulda lifted her heel a little and rotated the gigantic foot on its ball, turning me with it while she increased the pressure.  I tried to keep my mind off the constant threat of being crushed by focusing on breathing, drawing in as much breath as I could in the limited space.  The air was heavily tinged with the smell of her foot despite the fresh stocking around it, with a hint of sealant from the floorboard.  My efforts to distract myself only did more to reinforce the omnipresence of Fulda’s foot, and I decided to try holding my breath instead.

Fulda lifted her foot off the floor, picking me up during its slow ascent.  Luckily I was only stuck to it for a few seconds and dropped back to the floor, the suction unable to keep me on her sole for long.  She rotated it on her heel and gently set it down next to me with nary a sound or seismic jolt.  I looked up her towering body, past the watermelon-sized thighs revealed by her short skirt and the ample breast on display thanks to her low neckline and found her icy blue eyes staring down at me.  Her full lips pulled back into a smile and she boomed, “Good work, little guy!  You haven’t tried to run from my feet in over a month, I think you’re getting better!”

For the past four months I had been living in Fulda’s condo.  We had dated briefly in high school, though the relationship came to an end shortly after she shrank me to an inch tall at senior prom.  After graduation she gave me to her youngest sister to free herself up for the college life, which came as a complete surprise to me.  Over the next six years I was humiliated and tortured by her sister, Gina, and brought me to the brink of death and insanity on a monthly basis.  Fulda finally came back and rescued me from Gina’s clutches, and out of a strong sense of regret had taken me under her care.

Ordinarily I would have strong misgivings about living at the feet of my ex, but this was an extraordinary situation and it was either this or daily torment at Gina’s hands.  Truthfully, Fulda was uniquely equipped to facilitate me.  For her senior project she built a scale model city and had some buildings just my size left over, and vast amounts of experience during college had prepared her for taking care of very small people, though she was yet to elaborate on just what that experience was.  She had a strong affection for tiny people, evidenced by how eagerly she shrank me, and almost immediately noticed that I had developed a strong aversion to even the mention of her wearing stockings.

“Yeah, I think so too!” I shouted up her towering body.  Even though my voice could not have been more than a small squeak to her Fulda never had any trouble hearing me, except when it was convenient for her.  “Does that mean we can stop this treatment now?”  Ever since she had brought me to her place Fulda resolved to treat my phobia with weekly sessions where she chased me around and pinned me beneath her foot while wearing stockings.  I no longer screamed in terror the moment she put them on or tried to run from beneath her sole, so it must be working, but the experience was far from pleasant.

“No, you’ve still got a long way to go,” Fulda answered with her rumbling voice.  “You’re used to stockings, but what about barefoot?  Shoes?  Butts?  Mouths?  Hands?  There are a lot of things Gina could have made you terrified of, and I think we should find them in a safe environment.  Besides,” she winked and nudged me with her toe, shoving me forcefully to the side, “you used to love when I stepped on you, and I want you to get that magic back.”

“You mean that you love it when you step on me, and I tolerate it,” I corrected.

Fulda shrugged her broad shoulders and looked at me playfully.  “You’re not wrong, but I know that you used to like it.  I want you to enjoy it as much as you did then.”

“We were dating back then, Fulda,” I reminded her.  “Things are different now.”

“You’re right, they are,” she agreed.  “But as long as I’m careful not to hurt you, what’s the harm?  Plus, any girl I set you up with from my old sorority will want to have fun with you like I did, and I would feel so bad if you freaked out with them and got injured.”

“Speaking of, when are you going to start doing that?” I asked.  “The only other person I’ve seen since we left the airport is you.  N-not that I mind, of course!”  I had to quickly add the last bit in case she flew off the handle.

“I was waiting until I thought you were ready,” Fulda purred, batting me the other way with her toes.  “I think you’re almost there now, but I’ll know for sure after tonight.”

Honestly, I would not mind dating Fulda again.  She was astonishingly tall at 6’8” – not that it was particularly noticeable while I was the size of a bug – and built like a tank.  Not only that but she was strikingly beautiful, particularly tonight.  Her cold blue eyes stood out with the thin line of dark eyeliner, and for once she let her long auburn hair spill down her back in waves.  Rounded cheeks complemented her Germanic nose, and her full lips glistened under a layer of pink lip gloss.  Fulda was exceptionally proud of the body she spent time sculpting, and the sleeveless, backless dress she had on showed off every part of it except her abs while the stockings emphasized her gorgeous legs.  However, asking out my titanic ex was not a conversation I wanted to have, particularly if she said no.  We already lived together and I almost fully depended on her, and I was worried that an awkward conversation like that could easily end with me going down her throat.

“Why?  What’s happening tonight?”  She was being secretive about tonight even though it was obvious she was going out, and I had no idea how her night on the town involved me.

“It’s a secret!” Fulda answered with a slight chuckle.  “Besides, you’ll find out in a couple hours when I get back.  If everything goes well, I’ll know I won’t have to protect you as much and you’ll be ready for another person.”

I was quiet for a second, considering the elephant that had been in the room ever since she ended Gina’s reign of terror.  “You know, you wouldn’t have to do all these tests and worry about my safety if you grew me back to my original height.”

The jovial expression disappeared, and Fulda’s face dropped.  “I knew you’d bring that up sooner or later, and the truth is I…” she trailed off, then sucked in air between her teeth.  “I can’t.  You have to believe me, I’ve been trying every single day to grow you even an inch, but nothing happens and I don’t know why.  Maybe you’ve been small too long for it to work, or Gina fucked with your height so much you’re locked in at this size, or a hundred other possible reasons that have never been documented or tried.  I want so much for you to be your old height again so we can put this whole episode behind us, but the reality is that, for now at least, you’re stuck at an inch tall.  I’m going to keep trying, but in the mean time I want to make sure you have the best life possible.  And since you have a gorgeous, generous, genius giantess looking out for you, I think you’re most of the way there!”

“Oh yeah?  Where is she, then?” I joked.

“She’s about to stomp you flat if you don’t lose the attitude, bud,” she replied, getting her smile back.  Her foot rushed forward and she shoved me back hard enough to tip me over.  She carefully set it down on my legs, holding me down while her enormous stockinged toe loomed over me.  “She can also be wrathful toward bug-sized men, or just plain forgetful.”

“Oh, there she is!” I exclaimed, as though it were a sudden revelation.  “I was blinded by how radiant she is!”

“That’s what I thought,” Fulda replied, lifting her toe off me.  She slid her foot back but kept her cold eyes on me.  “Now, you stay put for a bit.  I need to finish getting ready, and I have just the thing you can help me with.”

“How can I help you with anything?”

“Stop asking so many questions, you’ll see!” she answered, then walked off to her room with her feet thudding loudly on the wood.  After a few seconds she came back, her pounding footsteps growing louder and more intense while she approached.  Tremors from her massive body moved through the floorboards while she drew closer, reaching their pitch when she suddenly stopped a few inches away from me.  She gave me a mischievous look, and I saw she was holding a pair of high heels, one in each hand.

Fulda tilted the heels up until their soles were level with the ground, then let them drop.  They landed with a resounding crash and sustained rattling from the buckles, and the one beside me tipped over.  It was open along its length, with a small bit of suede to anchor her heel and another, pointed section to hold her toes, with a single strap to hold down her ankle.  I was right in front of the toe portion, with the open suede cave looming over me threateningly.  She poked at it with her toe, standing it upright with a clatter, and slid her foot into the shoe.  When her feet were in Fulda became even more immense, and when I looked toward the back of the shoe I saw a narrow obelisk holding her far off the ground.

“Do you really need six-inch heels?” I shouted up.

“Aw, does someone feel small?” Fulda teased.  “Do you have any idea how much these shoes cost?”

“Uh, a thousand dollars?” I guessed.

“Way too little,” she answered smugly.  “They don’t make these in size 16, so I had to custom order them.  Custom, designer label, absolutely to die for… so yeah, I’m going to wear them whenever I can.”  She raised the toe up and brought it back down with a crash, shaking the ground beneath me violently enough I stumbled.  “Now, if you could be so kind as to help me with my buckles, I’d really appreciate it.”

Once the tremors subsided I climbed onto the black toe of her shoe by grabbing on and jumping, then kicking my legs against the suede.  When I was up I began scaling the long slope of Fulda’s foot.  It was not as steep as I expected, and the fine nylon mesh gave me plenty of grip during my journey.  All it took was digging my feet into her stocking and clutching at it with my hands if I lost my grip and I was standing at the base of her ankle in no time.

The strap hung over me, and was easy enough to grab and pull down toward me.  It offered a little resistance, growing slightly stronger as I walked along her ankle toward the dangling end.  At the far side of her ankle I reared it up, and with all my strength bent the length of suede so it would no longer hang over the edge.  After carefully positioning it I let it go, causing it to unfurl against the golden buckle.  I straddled the strap and grabbed it with both hands, then began feeding it through the frame.  When it would not go any more I leaned down on it, bringing the prong as close to one of the holes as I could, and reached under to seize it.  Careful not to damage the material I pushed the prong through the nearest hole, then grabbed what was left.  I pushed the tip through the other side of the frame and jumped on the slack, forcing it through and making it look neat and stylish.

Fulda lifted her heel, tipping me off the side.  I tumbled to the floor while she inspected my work, giving it a couple swift kicks before setting it back down beside me with a crash.  “Good job, little dude!” she congratulated me.  “Next time I should let you do both, this is real snug!”  I was focused on the gigantic shoe looming over me, with me just outside the shadow of its outsole.  She often did not wear shoes around me, and I forgot how massive they were.

Quickly Fulda bent over and extended a hand downward, pinching me on both sides with her thumb and forefinger.  She plucked me off the floor and stood, raising me to her face.  Years of being thrown around like a toy had made me acclimated to the vertigo I used to get, so she was totally comfortable handling me like a doll.  Fulda held me about half a foot away, just enough that both of her eyes could focus on me.  I appreciated the positioning, since we had spoken about it and settled on this as ideal for both of us, and it let me appreciate the beauty of her enormous face.

“Now, you be good while I’m out, you hear?” she said, acting strict and pointing a finger at me.  “No parties, no girls, and no raiding the liquor cabinet.  They’re all much too large for you, and the last thing I want is to come home and see you crushed under a vodka bottle.”  Fulda lowered me until I was level with the hem of her skirt and set me on the clean, varnished table, then pulled her hand away.  “I’ll be back in a few hours, please stay on the table while I’m out, okay?”  She smiled and walked away, her heels clicking on the floor with each step, then closed and latched the door behind her.

I had no idea what I would do while she was gone, this was the first time she had left for something besides work since taking me in.  Obviously I would take her advice and stay on the table: with how coy she was being I expected it was integral in the surprise she had planned for me.  The table was clear except for a single pamphlet, and at my size it might take the whole night to read.  Unheeding of whatever the topic was, I briskly walked over to the folded sheet of paper and began reading it.

Cotton fibers from the white sock covering Gina slipped into her mouth, causing her to gag and sputter.  There was nowhere for her to get away from the white behemoth, though, and trying to force it out only got more in.  She pushed up on the titanic foot holding her down, but could not even dimple the soft skin of its sole with her weak, tiny arms.  Gina released a loud groan of frustration at her own impotence, though she knew it was muffled by the foot pinning her against the ground. 

The foot pressed down harder, and Gina felt the sharp increase in pressure from the extra weight.  Her chest compressed under the extra force of the sole, shoving air out of her throat in a pathetic yelp.  Unable to even move to push back anymore, Gina began squirming in a desperate effort to get out from the enormous appendage.  It was for naught, however, and her tiny body did not even succeed in tickling the sole.  She tried to inhale, but the weight atop her kept her chest from expanding with her lungs.  Even if she were physically capable, though, there was no air beneath the foot to breathe in, and the seal around her was tight.

Thankfully, before Gina’s bones could crack under the pressure the foot lifted off, giving her some relief.  Light peeked through the slits beneath the expansive sole, casting the sock in long, dark shadows.  Gina whimpered while it slowly pulled back from above her, letting its oppressive size drill its way into her mind.  When the toes came into view, clearly outlined by the tight sock pulled around them, the big one dipped down, striking Gina in the gut and doubling her over while forcing out what air remained in her lungs.  She clutched her stomach in pain, and the titanic foot set down, its toes close enough to hang over her feet.

Gina looked up at the gigantic woman who had released her, granting another stay of execution.  The toes, taller than Gina was even while standing, blocked her view of the ankle exposed by the woman’s tight yoga pants, leaving her eyes to start their tour with her long, toned calves.  She scanned up the shapely thighs, every curve revealed by the skin-tight material, to the little bit of flat midriff exposed by her long-sleeved red shirt.  Relatively-speaking her breasts were of moderate size, but now that she was ten feet tall they were larger than most people’s heads, and to Gina they were tremendous boulders.  A clear, healthily-tanned face greeted her at the top, with shining, baby blue eyes and a waterfall of light blond hair, its roots significantly darker.

“Gina!” Ashley exclaimed, as though she just now noticed the tiny woman she had been standing on.  “How good to see you again!  How’d you like the underside of my foot?”

“Your foot fucking stinks and you’re a bitch!” Gina shouted back up once Ashley’s tremendous voice stopped.  Her former friends had been visiting after school on an almost daily basis ever since Gina had been shrunk during her boy toy’s escape over four months ago.  Though they regularly brought new shrunken people with them to keep in the terrarium she had set up expressly for that purpose, they always made time for her.  Their visits were easily the worst part of her day, and she wished they would either grow her back to her old size or crush her.

“I’m sorry you don’t like my feet,” Ashley said in a mock apology.  “If you want I can put you under my ass like usual, it’s really too nice to not be used anyway.”  Gina’s eyes widened, the memory of being trapped beneath Ashley’s butt recent and very vivid.  “No?  Not a fan of that idea?”  Ashley chuckled, causing Gina’s anxiety to spike.  “Then get up.”

Gina hurried to stand and got to her feet in such a rush that she stumbled forward, having to lean against Ashley’s big toe for support to keep from falling on her face.  The giantess nudged her foot forward, shoving Gina off when she pulled it back.  Ashley looked down at the puny woman in front of her and smiled.  She was barely more than a speck, and only stood out against the white carpet thanks to her dark clothing and disheveled blond hair.  If she wanted to, she could crush her at any time and think nothing of it: it would be no more difficult or significant to her than any other bug.

Ashley’s foot shot forward, giving Gina a hard push with her toe.  The tiny woman stumbled back, and Ashley slid her foot to the side.  Before Gina came to a stop she turned her foot inward, striking her with the toe and causing her to stagger to the side.  Ashley easily caught up to her and pressed her big toe against Gina’s side, causing her to wrap around the contour of it.  She continued pushing her along the floor, in total control of her movements, knowing that Gina was helpless to do anything about it.

Her foot accelerated, toppling Gina over when her little legs could no longer keep up with the speed.  She let out a tiny, squeaky scream of frustration when she fell to the floor, and Ashley’s toes swooped over her prone body.  Ashley pulled her leg back and raised her foot, then stomped it onto the floor.  Gina yelped again from the crash and felt her insides shake with the impact, and she looked up to see Ashley’s colossal toe looming over her.  “Get up,” the giantess demanded, and Gina swiftly complied, not wanting to spend another second pinned under her foot.

The floor rumbled and shook from footsteps, though Ashley was perfectly still, satisfied for her foot to be menacing Gina.  After three loud thuds another foot set down in front of Gina, its big toe touching Ashley’s to form a broad, white wall.  She looked up at the newcomer and saw black yoga pants bulging all the way up her monolithic legs, barely able to contain the thick muscles cultivated by years of sports and weightlifting.  A dark blue shirt bearing their school’s logo came down to her crotch, tight enough to show off her sizable chest.  Her wavy, dark red hair hung down to her shoulders, and her emerald green eyes danced with joy while she looked at the tiny woman at her feet.  With Gina an inch tall, Shelby had become the tallest, strongest girl at school, and everyone had to do what she said.

“Hey Gina!” Shelby bellowed, making the smaller woman cringe.  “I just want to say how much I appreciate that we’re still friends after all you’ve been through.  It’s just, all of my other friends are so tall and beautiful, it’s nice to have someone I can look down on instead!”  She laughed, and Gina shook with rage.  “Every group needs someone at the bottom, and I’m glad you stepped into that spot by letting us step on you.”

“We’re not fucking friends, stop saying that!” Gina protested, unable to contain her anger.  “If you were my friend you’d grow me back instead of torturing me like some worthless tiny person!”

“But Gina,” Shelby replied, “you are a worthless tiny person!”  Gina seethed while Shelby continued.  “Remember, we found you like this, with your gigantic Asian friend living in your room.  I figured you wanted to be tiny, so you shrank yourself and had her watch over you until we came by.”

“That’s not what happened and you know it!” Gina shouted at her colossal friend.  “If it weren’t for me you’d just be some average-height nothing, you owe me my size!” 

“I don’t think so, but I’ll get another opinion,” Shelby shot back.  “Hey Julie, come here!  Take a good look at Gina and tell me if we owe her anything!”

The floor rumbled with another set of footfalls, and another toe soon joined the others, forming an impassable triangle around the shrunken woman.  Gina looked up the long, slender legs of the newcomer, finding it remarkable how pale they were despite being exposed to the sun so often – even Shelby, who normally wore jeans, had a complexion approaching the shade of caramel.  A pair of biking shorts hugged Julie’s thighs, emphasizing how thin her legs were for her size, and a loose, sleeveless black shirt was draped over her chest, revealing nothing of her slight torso.  Julie’s black hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and she grinned while she gazed down at Gina with her big brown eyes.

Gina now stood in a pit formed by the big toes of her three colossal friends, each one forming a wall that she would have to scale if she wanted to get anywhere.  She looked at each of the giantesses surrounding her and noted the smug grins on their faces while they flaunted their size – the size she had given them to begin with!  They were enormous, titans in their own right, and them all gazing down at her like this made her feel especially small.  It made her dream of the day that they would all be specks before her, and she would feast on their screams as she ground them into dust.

“Idunno Shelby, that’s a tough one,” Julie said.  “On the one hand, Gina told us, almost verbatim, that as giantesses we can do whatever we want to tiny people because we deserve to rule over them, and she’s a tiny person.  On the other hand, she used her position as queen of the school to make everyone terrified of her and treated anyone smaller than her like garbage.”  She shrugged and wiggled her toes, making the ground under Gina shake.  “Huh, I guess it’s not so tough after all.  Really, we should be meaner to her.”

“That’s not what I meant!” Gina protested, staring up at Julie in horror.  “I meant the people that we shrink, not each other!  I deserve to be a giantess so I can squash tiny people, I can’t be tiny!  I’m a giantess, dammit!  You’re all abusing the power I gave you!”

“Oh, Gina,” Shelby cooed, smiling down at the former giantess, “I know you think you’re a giantess, but look at you!  You’re puny!  You can’t be both puny and a giantess.”

Gina growled.  “This is a mistake!” she screeched.  “Akane shrank me and put me in that tank!  If anything, you should shrink her and give her to me so that I can smash her guts out!”

“Oh no, that’s not going to happen,” Shelby replied.  “If you wanted to see what it was like to be tiny, you should have just asked one of us.  We would have gladly done it, let you be small under our supervision for a bit, then grown you back.  But you didn’t trust us and asked her to do it instead.  Frankly, I felt betrayed when I saw you in there, and I know the others did, too.”

“Yeah, I would’ve loved chilling with tiny Gina for a day!” Ashley added in support of Shelby’s rant.  “But since you had someone else shrink you, I just can’t muster the same respect I had for you.  We were your friends, and if you can’t trust us to make you tiny why should we help you now?”

“You were so small when we found you!” Julie piled on.  “You robbed me of the joy of watching you get smaller, so why should I let you have the joy of growing?  Besides, after you spent so long ragging on me for being short, I think it’s my turn.”

“That’s not what happened!” Gina protested, screaming so loud her voice cracked.  “If any of you would listen to me you’d know that Akane and my sister ambushed me and did this!”

“Oh, I just had an idea!” Shelby declared.  “Since we’re all together like this, I should get a picture!”  Everyone agreed, ignoring Gina’s shrieks in opposition, and Shelby pulled out her phone.  Carefully she centered the frame on their feet in a circle between them and snapped a photo.  To her delight it was almost impossible to see Gina in the well between their feet: if she had not known she was there, Shelby probably would have missed her too.  Quickly she uploaded it, cross posting it to a variety of social media platforms, with the caption “Giant Soul Sisters!”

“Why would you take a picture of me?” Gina shrieked.  That was the last straw.  Her temple boiled over and she screamed, then punched Shelby’s toe.  The fist flattened a small section of the sock and made a small indent in the skin behind it.  She did it again, striking the toe with all her strength.  It was completely ineffective, but finally venting some frustration made her feel better.

“Oh, you want to fight, huh?” Shelby said, and Gina instantly regretted her outburst.  She raised her hands in apology, and Shelby laughed at her sudden change of heart.  “No, if you want to go, let’s go.”  The titanic woman bent over, lowering a hand toward Gina.  “I’m pretty sure I can take you.”  Her fingers clamped around Gina’s sides, pinning her arms against her body so she could not struggle while she stood.

Shelby held Gina in front of her face, studying the tiny woman intensely.  With Shelby’s massive face bearing down on her Gina began to wail out of fear.  She had seen her former friend gobble up several people and had no desire to join them.  “Shelby, no, I’m sorry!” she cried in a panic.  “I didn’t mean to hit you, I just lost my temper, it’ll never happen again!”

“Mm, I doubt that,” Shelby replied, pushing her lips together.  The tip of her tongue extended and ran along the soft, pink skin, leaving behind a thin layer of glistening saliva.  “You seem like the type to struggle.  Honestly, I’d be disappointed if you didn’t punch my stomach trying to get out.”  Gina’s eyes bulged.  She had threatened to eat her several times before, but she might actually do it this time.

Slowly Shelby drew Gina toward her mouth, letting the anticipation build.  As she got closer Gina became more hysterical, squealing and trying to wiggle her way out of Shelby’s iron grip.  It was all in vain, and when she stopped before the massive lips she suddenly became silent.  She was close enough to touch the tender flesh, and it pulled back in a tight smile.

Shelby’s lips parted, revealing the tooth-lined maw behind them.  Gina resumed her terrified screams, and with one quick motion Shelby popped her in, tossing her puny body between her lips and onto her tongue.  She looked back to the cave’s entrance and saw the screen of Shelby’s phone with the camera facing her active.  Seeing herself tiny inside the maw of her colossal former best friend was surreal, and something finally slipped in her brain.  Darkness grew while Shelby closed her lips, and she was able to watch the whole thing in high definition video, weeping in despair the whole time.

In the pitch black of Shelby’s mouth, Gina felt truly alone.  Warm saliva encased her, and the tremendous tongue she laid on twitched involuntarily.  Gina wailed and wept, expecting at any moment for Shelby’s tongue to flick her back to her throat and swallow.  This should not, could not, be happening to her.  She had eaten dozens of puny, worthless people, and if she went down Shelby’s gullet it meant she was no better than them.

A great force gripped her, and Gina felt herself get rocketed forward.  A small hole opened between Shelby’s lips and she raced through, suddenly breaking out into the shining light of her room.  She landed in the center of Shelby’s waiting palm, hitting it with a loud slap.  Gina let out a moan, humiliated to be in a pool of spit, but quickly realized the most important thing – she was alive.  That was the closest Shelby had ever come to eating her, but for some reason she had changed her mind.

“Do you give up?” Shelby demanded.

This was a tricky situation.  If she said no, it would mean she still wanted to fight and Shelby would have to go further.  However, if she said yes that would mean she submitted, and Shelby could do whatever she wanted to her.  If Gina were in her shoes, she would take a victory as free reign to smash or eat her tiny opponent.  It was a no-win situation to her, and she had to count on Shelby’s propensity for head games being less developed.  “Yes, yes, you win!” she proclaimed, admitting defeat.  “You beat me!”

“Good!” Shelby replied, pointing at her sharply with her other hand.  “Now don’t ever hit me again!”  Gina sighed with relief.  Either Shelby was yet to discover the joy of mentally tormenting tiny people, or she was having too much fun with her to end it now.  “You know, I was going to take pity on you and grow you back soon, but now I don’t think I will.  You’re clearly too unstable to be big again.”

Gina remained silent.  That was an obvious lie to try and get a reaction out of her, and she refused to beg for her forgiveness.  It was entry-level manipulation, and she would not get taken in by such amateur tactics.

“Hey, it’s getting late,” Julie broke in.  “We should probably put her up and head home.”

“Shit, you’re right,” Shelby said, moving back to the terrarium.  She stuck her arm through the open hatch, lowering Gina down to its plastic floor.  Her fingers opened, releasing her from her grip, and withdrew her arm.  Shelby winked at the miniscule woman, still drenched in her saliva, and said, “Play nice with the other tinies!  We’ll see you later.”

Gina glared at the three titanesses as they walked out, slamming the door behind them.  They were incomprehensibly big to her, and having people tower over her so utterly after six years of looking down at everyone was still a tremendous shock.  She looked at the people she shared her tank with, huddled together in clusters.  It was severely over-capacity, she thought.  Her old friends had been dropping in new people much more quickly than they had been clearing them out, and it was soon going to reach a population crisis.  With her fragile mental state, Gina realized that if they weren’t going to manage the terrarium’s population, it would fall to her.

I stood on the last page of the pamphlet, holding the other end up to keep it from folding over onto me.  It had been a tremendously boring read, and having to move with the words like it was some kind of captioned sing-along only made it worse.  Still, a page or two about setting up a wi-fi router was more stimulating than looking around the living room of her sparsely-decorated condo for the tenth time, and since I was restricted to the table top I would not be able to explore anywhere else.  Checking out her shoes might be an interesting trip down memory lane, I thought, or I could try and turn on the TV. 

What could be taking Fulda so long?  She had said that she was going out, and there would be a surprise for me later, but was frustratingly vague on the details.  The way she was dressed it could have been anything from an office party to an evening at an upscale club.  I should have asked if I could go with her to avoid having to spend all night by myself.  There was enough room in her clutch for me, and if there was a lull in the conversation she could show me off as a kind of curiosity.

There was a loud thud on the door, and my attention snapped to it.  “Oh yeah, I locked it,” Fulda said, giggling.  Another voice joined her laughter while keys jingled, then the rapid clicks of tumblers while a key slid into the lock.  She jimmied it for a moment, then turned it with a loud click.  The handle turned and I hopped off the sheet of paper, eager to see what surprise Fulda had brought home – and wanting to be sure I would be easily seen.

Fulda strode through the door, a smile plastered on her face and her gait unsteady while she crossed the threshold.  A much shorter woman leaned against her, slotting nicely under the arm Fulda had draped over her for mutual support.  She had short but voluminous brown hair and wide-rimmed glasses that magnified her light brown eyes, and a pretty face with small, sharp features.  Her slight build was accentuated by the tight, short-sleeved shirt she wore, and her pale skin was contrasted by its dark color.  The shirt was tucked in to a pair of tiny black shorts, with the rest of her legs covered by black stockings.  Physically she was the polar opposite of Fulda, but their sense of style lined up perfectly.

They walked toward the table, still leaning on each other for support while the ground shook beneath them.  Fulda set her black clutch on the table beside me so that the golden clasp was aligned with me as though delineating a border, and her friend tossed her handbag down beside it with a crash.  A powerful tremor went through the table, causing me to lean on the bar of Fulda’s clutch for support, and the new woman slid from beneath Fulda’s arm.  She walked toward the kitchen area while Fulda stood by the table, leaning on it slightly for support and looming over me with her gigantic body.

“When you said you lived a few blocks from the club I thought you were bullshitting,” she said.  Her voice was a little nasal and probably high-pitched to other people, but it still sounded like a low, powerful roar to me.  “If I had known it was a five-minute walk I would’ve worn heels!”

“Good thing you didn’t,” Fulda said, “I don’t think I could bear having to look up at you all night, Mia.”  She had never mentioned anyone named Mia before, so I doubted this was one of her friends from college.

“I think I’d like looking down at you, though,” Mia replied.  “You’re so damn tall it’d be nice to take you down a peg.  Do you have any liquor?”

“Yeah, it’s in the bottom cabinet besides the fridge,” she told her.  “Go ahead and mix us up a couple vodka tonics, there’s some tonic water in the fridge door.”  The sound of cabinets opening and closing filled the silence for a moment.  “Do you ever wonder how your life would be different if you were taller?”

“Not really,” Mia answered while unscrewing the vodka bottle.  “It’s not something I can change, so I don’t bother.  How strong do you want your drink?”

“Stronger than I am,” Fulda responded with a grin.  “Okay, what if you were taller than me?”

“Sounds like you just want straight vodka,” Mia joked.  “I’d probably get more attention from guys in clubs for one.”  She poured out the liquor, making one noticeably more full.  “Are you talking like you’re five feet tall or something, or am I seven feet?”

“I better get some tonic!” Fulda insisted.  “I like the bubbles.  Let’s go with me being five feet, though I’m curious about the other one, too.”

Mia opened a bottle of tonic water with a hiss and began pouring it into her glass.  “I think…” she trailed off, probably trying to focus on her drink while thinking of an answer.  “If you five-foot-nothing, I’d make fun of you.  A lot.  And I’d probably bully you by holding stuff you want over your head, because I’ve never gotten to do that to anyone.”  She paused while pouring a splash into Fulda’s glass.  “And if I were super-tall like you I’d call you my little friend a lot, and probably be a lot better at sports.”

“Very interesting,” Fulda replied.  “What if… you were gigantic compared to me?”

There was a clatter while Mia put away the bottle and shut the refrigerator door.  “That depends.  Are you tiny, or am I, like, a giantess or something?”

“For the sake of this, we’ll say I’m tiny and you’re your normal size.”

“How tiny we talking?” Mia asked.  Metal clinked against glass while she stirred the drinks, followed by a loud rattle when she set the mixer down in the sink.

“About an inch,” Fulda replied, raising a hand and holding her fingers close to demonstrate what size she was talking about.

“Let’s see,” Mia began, picking up a glass with each hand.  She began walking back toward us, taking extra care to not spill a drop.  “If you were an inch tall, I would…”  Mia handed the drink that was mostly vodka to Fulda and took a sip out of hers before answering.  “Step on you!” she exclaimed, stomping her foot for emphasis.  I looked at her in surprise, and Fulda looked uncomfortable.  That was not the answer she wanted to hear.  “You’re just so insanely hot, I can only imagine you’d be too adorable for me to bear at that size.”  She took another sip of her drink while we stared at her, and I prepared to duck inside Fulda’s clutch if she noticed me.  “Nah, for real though, I’d probably keep you in a jar on my desk.  Then you could give me all your great ideas at work and I could take all the credit, and we’d split the bonus down the middle!”  Fulda untensed, and I relaxed.  A less murder-focused answer was much more what she expected.  “What’s with all these weird questions?”

Fulda took a long draught from her drink and reached down, pushing her clutch out of the way.  She kept her arm down and extended her fingers toward me like she was presenting the prize on a game show.  “Mia, I’d like you to meet my roommate.”  I waved up at her and smiled, glad to finally be part of the conversation.

She stared at me in shock, unable to believe what she was seeing.  “No way.”

“Way.”

Mia continued staring at me in disbelief.  She took a step closer and leaned in closer to me.  “Fulda, that’s an inch-tall man,” she said like she was trying to explain it to herself.

“Sure is,” Fulda replied with a cocky smile.  She must have been building up to this all night, if not longer, and I just got the tail end of it.

“How did you even meet someone so small?”  Mia continued advancing toward me, and was now close enough that her face loomed over me.  Fulda seemed to pick her friends by how pretty they were, since Mia was gorgeous.  Now that I was looking at her enormous face up-close I noticed that it had near-perfect symmetry, and the small features were a perfect fit for her, with the glasses drawing attention to her face.  “Did he crawl into your shoe or climb up on your lap or something?  How did you not swat him like a bug?”

“We used to date,” Fulda stated, and Mia stopped and looked at her in astonishment.  “I know, right?” she added with a chuckle.  “Can you imagine me with a pipsqueak like that?”

Mia turned back to me, her mouth wide open.  Seeing her open maw so close it was difficult not to imagine her popping me into it, and I gave a quick shudder.  “Yeah, that is pretty funny,” she agreed.  “I’m not even sure how… I mean, you’re gigantic to me, and I’m probably gigantic to him, so you must be uh, double-gigantic to him.  Does he think I’m gigantic?”

“Dunno, why don’t you try asking him?”

Mia’s mouth dropped again in astonishment.  “He can talk?” she exclaimed.

“Yeah, of course he can!” Fulda responded.  “He’s tiny, not mute.  He’s pretty smart, too, and really fun to talk to!”

Mia gave me a wide-eyed stare and a huge grin, as though learning I could talk was like learning the lottery.  She leaned in real close, until her mouth was only an inch or so from me, and bellowed, “Excuse me, Fulda’s tiny roommate, but am I gigantic to you?”  The sheer power from her voice blew my hair back and left my ears ringing from its volume.

Fulda cringed and touched her shoulder.  “Please don’t yell at my tiny roommate,” she said gently.  “He can hear you just fine… or at least, he could.  Our voices are a lot louder to him on account of his size.”

Mia covered up her mouth in embarrassment, and her raw excitement gave way to concern.  “Oh shit, I’m sorry little guy!” she apologized in a whisper.  “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”  I slowly shook my head, making the movements as exaggerated as possible.  My ears were ringing, but it was nothing I had not dealt with from Gina.  “Okay, good!  So, am I gigantic to you?”  A smile crept across her face while she waited for me to answer.

“Yeah, you’re enormous!” I told her.  “I’m absolutely certain you could step on me like you’d step on Fulda, though I’d rather you didn’t.”

Her eyes lit up, and she was positively beaming.  “Cool!” she exclaimed.  “I’ve never been able to step on anyone before!  Or gigantic to anyone, for that matter.”  She took another sip of her drink and slowly slid a hand along the table to ward me, finger extended.  Fulda let her keep going and I stayed in her path, so she gave me a light poke before quickly pulling her hand back.  Mia mouthed “Wow!” then turned back to Fulda.  “You didn’t tell me how you met him, though.  C’mon, I bet it’s a great story!  I bet you were in a club and he was trying to dance with you, and he was dodging your feet and going ‘Oh no, please don’t step on me!’ and you were all ‘Oh shit, a tiny man!’”

“Not quite,” Fulda replied coyly.  “I actually met him in school, and he was a lot bigger then.”

“So he… shrank?”

“Yep.”

Mia slowly turned back to me, her eyes bulging behind her huge glasses.  “Whoa,” she uttered.  “So, uh, how’d you shrink, if you don’t mind me asking?  Is it some genetic condition?  Did you get some kind of disease, and Fulda, the kind, beautiful woman that she is took care of you?”

“Fulda shrank me at our senior prom,” I said, matter-of-factly.  “But it was while we were dancing, and she did almost step on me a few times.”

Mia was having a difficult time with having her mind blown so constantly, and her inebriated state did not help.  “Shit Fulda, you can shrink people?” she exclaimed.  “That’s amazing!  That’s huge!”

“I don’t like the advertise the fact, but yes, I can,” she answered, as though she was talking about playing the piano. 

“Could you shrink me?” Mia asked, then took another sip of her drink.

“I think you’re small enough as it is,” Fulda replied, giving her a playful look.  “But I could, if you wanted to know what it’s like to be even smaller.  Then I could grow you back when you got tired of it.”

“You can grow people too?”  Mia was beside herself with excitement with each new fact she learned, not even thinking to question it.  “I want to be as big as you!  No, bigger!  Wait, why haven’t you grown him back yet?”

Fulda took a quick swig from her drink to cover her hesitation.  “I don’t want to,” she hurriedly lied.  “I think he’s really cute that size.  He doesn’t want me to either, actually.  We’re both satisfied with him being tiny like this.”

“Well, he is really cute,” Mia said, turning back to me.  “If I weren’t dating Jesse I’d snatch him up in an instant.  It’d be so nice to be taller than a boyfriend for once, and I think it’d be cool if he thought I was gigantic like this guy does.”  Her hand crept forward again and she gave me a firm poke with her finger, then smiled broadly.  This time she did not pull her hand away as though I would shatter like glass, and seemed to be getting comfortable with me.

“I’ll see if I can help you out with Jesse, then,” Fulda suggested, then took another drink.  “I mean, if you’re serious, bring him out with you sometime and give the word.  He’ll be in the palm of your hand in no time.”

“Awesome,” Mia whispered, not taking her eyes off me.  “Hey, do you mind if I pick him up?”

“I don’t mind,” Fulda answered, “but it’s not up to me, is it?  You should really ask him.”

“Excuse me, Fulda’s tiny roommate, do you-“

“Sure, go ahead,” I said before she could finish.  “But be careful, I don’t want Fulda to have to explain to a doctor how I got a broken arm, or why I’m only an inch tall.  Also, you don’t have to refer to me as ‘Fulda’s tiny roommate’ every time you talk to me.”

“Okay, I’ll keep that in mind!” Mia responded, raising her fingers toward me.  Her hand inched toward me then she suddenly lunged, engulfing me with her hand.  Mia’s fingers snapped shut, trapping me in a loose fist.  The temperature spiked from her body heat, and my stomach churned as her hand came to a stop.  “This is so cool,” she said, lifting me away from the table.  “I have a real, live person inside my hand!”

“Yeah, it is neat,” Fulda replied.  “But, for the record, tiny people don’t like being picked up like that.  It makes them uncomfortable.”  She was speaking from experience.  Fulda had picked me up like that before when she wanted to mess with me, and I had no doubt she had done that to many of her unfortunate victims in college.

“Oops, sorry little guy,” Mia whispered, just loud enough to make it through her fingers.  She opened her fist, and I found myself close enough to touch the lens of her glasses.  I yelped and darted back out of surprise, then quickly calmed down when I realized what had happened.  For her part Mia did not notice, and only let out an astonished “Wow.”  “He’s even smaller up close!”

Fulda smiled.  “Yeah, he’s pretty small no matter how you look at him.”  Either Mia’s constant exuberance was wearing thin on her, or she simply had nothing to add to it.  She always had trouble staying interested when the conversation was not explicitly about her.  “You should try talking to him, though.”

“Excuse me, Ful- uh, hey, little dude,” Mia corrected herself.  “So, what’s it like being so small?”  She swore under her breath, and quickly thought of a better question.  “I mean, what’s it like to be held in someone’s hand?  I think it’s really cool, but is it scary for you?”

“It can be at first,” I answered.  She was probably using this to decide whether she wanted Fulda to shrink her boyfriend, and I was going to be as transparent as possible.  For all I knew, he would enjoy it.  “Once you get used to it, though, it’s kind of a neat feeling, and if I want to get anywhere fast someone has to carry me.”

“Good to know.”  Mia’s hand was shaking, causing me to wobble back and forth in her palm.  “And, uh, what about having an enormous face this close to you?  I guess that might be scary too, right?”

“It depends on the person,” I replied.  “I’ve never been held by an ugly person, but I probably wouldn’t like that.  Everyone who’s ever put their face this close to me has been gorgeous, present company included.”  Though it killed me to admit it, Gina’s poison soul was hidden behind an incredibly beautiful face that I would have enjoyed a lot more if she had not been constantly trying to stuff me between her lips.

“Aw, thanks!  You’re so sweet!  I hope Jesse’s this sweet when he’s your size.”  It sounded like she had made up her mind, or was at least leaning heavily toward going through with it.

I made sure she was finished before continuing.  “If I thought you were going to eat me though, like if you had me down by your mouth or you kept licking your lips or something, I’d probably be terrified.  And this probably varies by tiny person, but I, personally, don’t like being this close.  I prefer being about six inches to a foot away from someone’s face.”

“Oh, sorry!” Mia apologized.  “Let me fix that right now.”  Her hand quickly pulled me away from her face, but with how unsteady it was I started rolling across her palm.  Before she could stop me I careened off the edge and plunged out of her hand.  I rapidly fell the length of her relatively gargantuan body until landing on her foot, which fortunately broke my fall.  Before I could get back up, however, I rolled toward the side of her foot and dropped to the floor, where I landed with a thud.

“Oh fuck I killed him,” Mia said, deadpan.  “Fulda, I am so, so sorry about that, please don’t shrink Jesse, I’m clearly not ready for a tiny person.”  I moved to get my arms under me and pushed, slowly getting up.  The breath had been knocked out of me by the fall, but other than that I felt fine.  “Should I step on him to make it look like an accident?”  She lifted her foot, then set it back down with a dull thump.  “No, that’ll just look worse, like I meant to kill him.  I’ll eat him to get rid of the evidence.  I killed him, so I should do it.”

“Mia!” Fulda hissed, finally getting through to her.  She had been trying to stop her panicked rant since it began, but once she started it was hard to derail.  “Look down, dammit!”

Reluctantly she looked down, then let out a heavy sigh of relief.  “Oh, thank fuck, he’s alive,” she exclaimed.  “Sorry about that, little guy.”

“Yeah, he’s pretty tenacious,” Fulda offered.  “Most tiny people have a fatal accident within six hours, but this guy’s a survivor.”  I thought it was incredibly morbid that she referred to shrinking and murdering people as them having “fatal accidents,” but if that was how she justified it so she could sleep at night she was not going to listen to my admonishments.  “He’s been through some rough shit in his six shrunken years and somehow came out of it stronger than when he started.  I’m pretty sure that unless you stomp on him or eat him or something he’ll be banged up, but he’ll live.”

“Sweet,” Mia remarked, still in shock from her near brush with being a murderer.  “So, should we pick him back up or something?”

“Well, you shouldn’t,” Fulda replied, “not after all that talk about eating him.  Besides, he likes being on the floor.”

“Really?” Mia asked, as though she had just learned the sky was blue.

“Yeah!”  Fulda’s excitement was coming back now that she got to talk about something related to herself.  “You see, he’s remarkable for more than being hard to kill.  He likes being this small.”

“Get out, no he doesn’t,” Mia interjected.

“He does!” Fulda insisted.  “When he first asked me out he was shorter than you!  He loves gigantic women and feeling small, at being at our feet makes him feel super small!”

“But I’m not gigantic,” Mia protested. 

“I think you need a second opinion,” Fulda suggested.  “Try asking him.”

“Hey little guy!” Mia boomed.  “Am I gigantic to you?”

“You’re colossal!” I shouted back, reassuring her.

She grinned like I had just given her a diamond the size of her fist.  “And do I make you feel small?” she asked smugly, drawing out the last syllable.

I looked up at Mia, really taking in the image of her as a giantess.  Her black, leather ballet flats were over twice my height, and I would have to take a running jump to even have a chance of reaching where they opened up and gave way to thick, coal black nylon.  Though her legs were a little stocky the stockings gave the illusion that they were long and slender, an impression helped by her high-waisted, rolled-up black shorts at the top of the towering spires.  Mia’s breasts were a little large for someone so small and slim, and she leaned forward a little so I could see her face.  From the floor any imperfections and blemishes were invisible, and it felt like her brown eyes were boring into me from behind her glasses.  What sold it though was her cocky attitude, like she was bathing in the attention from me.  “You make me feel puny, Mia!” I answered, stroking her ego.

“Ooh, I like him,” Mia responded, biting her lip.  “I hope Jesse’s as into it as he is.”

“There’s just one more thing,” Fulda said.  “You have to act like a giantess for him.”

“But how do I…”

“Just watch,” Fulda interrupted.  She gulped down the rest of her drink and slammed the empty glass onto the table, then stepped forward.  Fulda adjusted her stance so that she was standing astride me, with the toes of her high heels equally distant from me.  Her hands rested on her hips, just at the base of her fantastically short skirt, and she glared at me from what seemed like a thousand feet up with her cold blue eyes.  As I gazed up her in astonishment my eyes kept being drawn back to her humongous high heel shoes, buttressing her towering body like structures on their own.  It felt like she was becoming more immense by the second, and when I looked at her shoes I was confident she could easily squash Mia beneath one.

“Is that a tiny man, or a bug?” she asked, her voice a low growl.  “Fuck it, not like there’s a difference.”  Fulda raised her right foot, coiling it up so far that her thigh touched her chest.  After a long wind-up she wobbled, unsteady on one leg, and brought it racing down to the floor with a cataclysmic crack when her shoe slammed against the wood.  A bone-rattling tremor spread through the wood, turning my knees to jelly and causing me to stumble forward onto the suede toe of her shoe.  While I struggled to recover Fulda lifted her heel and began grinding her foot back and forth along the ball, shoving me off to sprawl onto the floor.  She maintained firm eye contact with me while she pressed her foot harder against the floor, making audible grinding sounds as she dug into it.

Suddenly she stopped, pulled her foot back beneath her, and fell back into a casual stance.  “And that’s how it’s done!” she said cheerfully.  “Now you try.”

“Fulda, he’s terrified!” Mia protested.  “There’s no way he likes that!”

“He does, though!” Fulda insisted.  “There’s no better way to make someone feel small than to make yourself as imposing as possible and then nearly stomp them flat.”

“Little guy, did you like that?” Mia asked.

“Hell yeah!” I responded excitedly.  “There’s really no feeling like it.  She made me feel like I was just a puny bug that she was going to squash, it was exhilarating!”  What the hell was I saying?  Had all that nonsense she spouted finally sunk into my head and become true?  Did I actually enjoy being tiny, and bug-sized in comparison to her?

“See?  He likes it!” Fulda reiterated, backing me up.  “So give it a shot.”

“Okay,” Mia replied, “but I don’t really feel comfortable.  And little guy, if I don’t make you feel smaller than I already do, please understand that it’s my first time, all right?”

“Got it, but I’m sure you’ll do fine!” I shouted back up at her.  Fulda stepped back, clearing the way for Mia to come closer, and I eagerly turned to face the shorter giantess.

Mia closed her eyes, and when she opened them again it was like night and day.  No longer was she timid and apologetic, but she had a hardened, steel gaze which immediately fell upon me.  She stepped forward, making her stride slow and deliberate as her heel crashed into the floor, followed by the rest of her sole slapping against the wood.  Before I could recover from the first shockwave she brought her other foot forward in the same way, sending out another quake that made me concerned a tectonic plate had actually buckled nearby.  When she stopped she was practically on top of me, her heinously long legs standing astride me while she mimicked Fulda’s stance.

I gazed up at her, jaw wide, unable to believe what I was seeing.  Mia seemed to be growing a hundred feet a second and showed no sign of stopping.  In no time I felt like a speck of dust before her, then started to get concern I was going to slip into the wood grain below me.  After a quick glance to my left I was speechless: her ballet flat appeared to be gargantuan, easily several times the size of the building we were in.  My mind recalled the image of Fulda from a minute ago and even she seemed puny compared to Mia now, like she would barely even soil her shoes.  This whole “feeling small” thing was getting to my head, and they were both amazing at it.

“Shit, you’ve got ants, Fulda,” Mia said stoically.  Her voice was intelligible, so I knew that Fulda was not pulling a fast one by shrinking me during this, and she only seemed to be monolithic.  “Or tiny people.  Whatever, they both go squish just as easily.”  She raised her foot and brought it forward like she was taking a regular step, setting her heel down just to the side of me.  Slowly she brought her toes down, practically rolling them onto the wood until her entire foot was flat against it.  Just as slowly as it had set down she raised her heel, and when it was vertical she began to very meticulously grind the ball of her foot, as though she were pulverizing a whole colony of ants.

“Damn, missed one,” she said, bringing her heel back down with a tremendous rumble.  Mia raised her sole back up and rotated it on her heel so that it was towering over me.  I felt the size of a bacterium beneath her shoe, and as it descended I could not even feel that big.  Compared to her I was literally nothing, and while the mammoth sole gradually lowered toward me I could not tear my eyes off the deep canyon of a design etched into it.  She stopped when it was millimeters above my head, threatening to knock me over.  With one wrong move she could snuff me out, and this would no longer be a fun game.

The tremendous shoe above me began to wobble, and I snapped out of the illusion.  Mia let out little whimpers as she struggled to maintain her balance, her shoe weaving side to side, up and down over me.  It pitched forward, and I hear her yell “Shit!”  I wanted to squeeze my eyes shut but could not force myself.  If I was finally going to meet the reaper after so many close calls, I wanted to greet him head-on.

There was a flash of movement and the shoe stopped, then I heard a loud grunt come from Fulda.  Mia went stumbling backward and I looked up to see Fulda standing over me, one leg fully extended into the air.  She carefully set it down, making sure to not generate any more erroneous seismic activity, though the boom and quake from Mia toppling over more than made up for it.

“You’ve had too much to drink, Mia,” Fulda declared, moving to stand between me and her.  “It was all fun and games until you put your foot on top of him and nearly smashed him because you lost your balance.  If you want to do that shit you can do it with Jesse, okay?  Not my fucking roommate.”

“Sorry,” Mia replied, trying to get back up.  Her feet scrabbled for traction on the wooden floor, and she struggled to pull herself up by gripping the counter.  She made a furious pounding and continuous series of aftershocks while she tried to get her footing.  Finally she seemed stable enough to not fall on her face, and Fulda bent over to scoop me up with a pair of fingers.

“You can sleep on the couch, there’s a blanket already laid over it,” she called over her shoulder while walking away.  Fulda snuggled me to her chest, making sure I was okay.  “You’re not hurt, are you?” she whispered to me.  “I was really worried she was going to do something stupid and get you killed.”

“No, I’m fine,” I replied.  “Were you messing with my size during that, though?”

“Dude, I haven’t fucked with your size since graduation,” she answered.  “Why?”

“She made me feel like I was actually nothing,” I responded.  “Mia was gargantuan to me until she started falling over.  I’ve never felt so small before.”

“Huh, guess she’s a natural,” Fulda said, kneeling slowly.  With her free hand she reached out and grabbed the roof off a tiny building, sliding it off in her palm.  “Probably for the best she’s trapped in such a small body, then.  Jesse’s either the luckiest or most cursed guy in the world.”  She lowered me into the building and gently set me down on the floor, then opened her fingers to release me.  “I’ll come get you in the morning.  If someone tries to get you before I normally wake up, start screaming your head off and I’ll come running, okay?”

“Sure thing,” I said, walking over to my tiny bed.

Fulda gave me a small smile.  “Good night,” she said, sliding the roof back onto the building.  She stood, and I watched her great, stockinged legs walk off into her room.  Once she was inside she bent over and undid the buckles of her shoes, slid her feet out of them, and carefully set them beside the bed.

“Hey Fulda?” Mia shouted from the living room.  “I’m not sure that little guy should just be your roommate, you two have something special.”

“Good night, Mia,” Fulda answered, then sighed deeply.  She knew I heard it, but neither of us wanted to think about it.  I chalked it up to the ravings of a drunk and slid under my covers.  A soft, rhythmic pounding came from Fulda’s room, then the light went off with a loud click.  The pounding resumed for a few seconds then stopped entirely.

Gina looked through the pane of glass into her room, fuming.  She looked at Akane, the tallest woman in the world, lounging on her bed, reading one of her books, drinking water from one of her glasses, and her rage only became greater.  It had not been enough for the Asian titaness to shrink her, but she had to take over her life, too?  The worst thing was that she was so nice about it, always coming by the terrarium and wishing the tinies good morning and giving them compliments while she fed them fresh food.  Nobody feared her like they should a real giantess.

For a moment Gina stared at her reflection in the glass and recoiled.  She looked wretched, and not just because she was covered in dry saliva from Shelby’s mouth.  Her long blond hair, formerly shining and healthy, had become dull and dark with an abundance of split ends while she was stuck indoors.  Previously bright and eager blue eyes had dark bags beneath them since she had not gotten a good night’s sleep in months, and her soft, dainty lips were rough and chapped.  Gina’s black shirt was stained and torn in several places, and her stockings had large tears over her thighs and calves so severe she might as well have not worn them at all.  Akane regularly offered her new clothes and help cleaning up but Gina refused every time out of spite.

With a growl Gina tore her eyes away from her benevolent captor to the veritable clan of tiny people she was trapped with.  They were the only things she could look down on anymore – Gina refused to call them people – but it was not enough.  Every time she was about to get back into the stride of towering over people her old friends would come back and ruin the illusion.  It was impossible to convince them of the narrative that she was gigantic if those three kept undermining it.  There had to be something she could do to make them terrified of her.

Gina walked toward the mansion she had placed in the terrarium just before she had been put inside it.  The path was thick with tinies, and she had to shove her way between them.  There must have been almost a hundred of them; he never would have let the population get this dense, but the trio liked playing with them more than purging, and Akane would never think of hurting one.  She had been trying to remove and regrow Gina’s victims before the hellions came into the picture, an idea that made Gina even more disgusted than her constant care and doting on the bugs.

Why had respect for her fallen so much in such a short time?  True, most of them had never revered Gina as the goddess she knew herself to be, but the newer additions came from the student body at school.  They had been trained to fear her for years, knowing that if they so much as looked at her while she was in a bad mood, terrible things would happen to them.  Had she really lost that much prestige in only a few months?  She was a giantess worthy of fear and adulation, not one of these worms only fit to decorate the sole of her shoe.

Someone slammed a shoulder into Gina’s waist, then sidestepped around as though nothing had happened.  Gina spun around and saw that it was a boy she had shrunk that fall for staring at her while she opened her locker.  “Hey!” she called out to him, but he kept walking.  She stepped after him and grabbed him by the shoulder, holding him firm.  “Hey, I’m talking to you!”  He turned to face Gina, but instead of gasping with fear he just looked bored.  “What do you say when you bump into someone?”

“Uh, sorry, I guess,” he said, then turned around to keep walking.  Gina growled through her teeth and grabbed him again, squeezing his shoulder tightly with her fingers, and spun him around, then with a hard slap on his back shoved him into her.

“Is that how you talk to a goddess?” she demanded, glaring down at him.  “Get down on your knees and beg for my forgiveness.”  She narrowed her eyes, waiting for him to comply.

“Yeah, okay,” he replied, rolling his eyes.  He tried to walk away again, but Gina was not having it.  She focused all her rage on the insolent little shit, and to her delight he rapidly got smaller.  In a flash he was below her knees, then a moment later he was nothing more than a very confused speck at the toe of her shoe.

The man looked up at Gina, horrified at what had just happened.  In an instant she had become a colossus, the toe of her shoe towering over him alone.  How small was he now, objectively?  Any search for answers ended when his mind short-circuited from gazing up Gina’s staggeringly long legs.  She fixed him with a cruel stare and he began to panic, shaking and running back and forth with nowhere to go.  Memories of Gina’s previous torment came flooding back, and he knew how ruthless she would be.  He tried to shout something to her but the words caught in his throat when they became a confused jumble of emotions.

Gina looked down at the tiny boy in front of her and felt the rush of power again.  No doubt he was very confused by what just happened, but that was not her concern.  Looking at him flail about trying to figure out what happened reminded her what it felt like to wield absolute power and how much she missed it.  “Have you forgotten what it’s like to be at the feet of a giantess?” she boomed, smirking.  “I am your goddess, and if you will not revere me as such, then you must suffer like the bug you are.”

His pathetic squeaks made it to her ears, but Gina neither knew nor cared what he was saying.  She took a step forward, placing her shoe over the shrunken man, and brought her foot down.  He made a light crunch when she squashed him, and Gina inhaled sharply as pleasure spread to every corner of her body.  It had been so long since she stepped on a tiny that she had forgotten how visceral and arousing the sensation was, and it felt like the first time again.

“What the hell?” someone nearby shouted.  Gina snapped her gaze to him and found that she had no idea who he was.  It must be a more recent arrival, dropped in by one of those ungrateful brats.  “She just killed that guy, someone h-“  Before he could finish screaming Gina put her hand over his face so that her palm ran from chin to eyes.  He struggled against her grip, but knew he had no chance.  She let him squirm a bit, reveling in her dominance over him.

Soon she grew tired of him, and with a little focus felt him grow smaller in her hand.  Almost instantly her fingers were wrapped around him so that only his head poked out from her fist. Shrinking people had become second nature to her, and with just a little practice she was as good as she had ever been.  She brought the man-shaped insect to her face and gazed at him, her skin tingling from the raw power she wielded over him.  There was nothing he could do, and she was a goddess again.

The man’s jaw was wide while he looked at Gina from within her grip.  Her enormous face, though still attractive despite the dirt and grime, was grotesque to his tiny perspective.  She squeezed her fingers around him, causing him to scream in pain while his bones fractured under the pressure.  He stared pleadingly up at her eyes, hoping for mercy, but found only malice in her great blue eyes.  His focus was drawn toward her rough lips as her tongue slid out, moistening them before she puckered them in his direction, as though giving a gigantic kiss.

“No, please!” he pleaded in his hilarious, high-pitched voice.  Gina laughed, drowning out the rest of his miserable cries, and drew him toward her mouth.  She opened her jaw and shoved him between her lips, catching him on her waiting tongue.  Before he could escape she closed her mouth, sealing him in, and licked him over his whole body.  The flavor!  It was more than the taste of a tiny person – they were disgusting and unwashed, usually – but the mortal terror they felt that made them so satisfying.  She batted him around with her tongue, slamming him into her teeth and palette, before the saliva built up too much and she had to swallow, taking him down with it.

The crowd picked up on what she was doing and started to run screaming from her.  That suited Gina just fine.  In quick succession she shrank the three people nearest to her, then three more.  She no longer cared where they came from or how they had arrived in the terrarium.  They were hers now, and they would worship her again.  On the outside she was subject to the whims of her former friends, but inside the terrarium she would be the giantess she knew she was.

A dozen people were shrunk around her, with the rest quickly running away.  She could deal with them later, they weren’t going anywhere.  Gina took a step toward the nearest group and was overjoyed when they stumbled merely from the force of her foot setting down.  Once more she felt like they were just bugs to her, waiting to be squashed.

“You thought I was harmless now that I was in here with you, didn’t you?” she asked in a mocking tone.  “Thought I was just a bug like the rest of you?  Well I’ve always been a giantess, and you’ll never be more than a gross insect to me.”  One of them tried to protest, but a quick stomp shut him up.  The crack of bones beneath her shoe was like music to her ears, and she never wanted it to stop.

Knuckles rapped on the glass, sending a series of resounding thuds through the terrarium.  Gina tore herself away from her spree of crushing tinies to look at the noise and saw Akane’s enormous face looking down, her nose pressed against the glass.  “Gina, what are you doing?” she asked, her voice quivering. 

“I’m a giantess!” Gina shouted in reply.  “Everyone else forgot, but I am!  If they won’t revere me, then they’re going to pay!”

“That’s insane!” Akane shot back.  “What do you think Shelby and her friends will do to you when they come back and see that you’ve shrank all of their tiny people?”

“They won’t!” Gina responded manically.  “None of them will be left by the time they get back!  Besides, none of them care about the bugs they put in here.  They drop them in and forget about them after a day.  I don’t though.  I see them every day, and they should be cowering at my every step!”

Akane stood and thrust her arm through the terrarium’s hatch, and Gina knew she did not have much longer.  In a frenzy she stepped forward, crushing the tiny nearest her, and eyed the next one.  She lunged for it just as Akane’s hand reached her, and she felt the puny body flatten beneath her sole.  Akane’s fingers pinched Gina around the torso, and with a sickening lurch snatched her off the ground.  Gina hardly felt anything over the euphoria of her rampage, still flush with feelings of godhood.

When she pulled the tiny woman out of the tank Akane held Gina up to her face.  It was difficult for Gina to maintain the belief that she was a giantess while a colossal face was mere inches from her, but she would not let it get her down.  She may have been gripped between Akane’s fingers, but she knew it was only a temporary setback.  In her mind she had never stopped believing in the giantess mindset, and one day she would have the size to match it.  Even her former gigantic body would seem puny while she looked down on houses and their inhabitants begged for mercy.

“What is wrong with you?” Akane asked, bringing Gina back to the present.  “I thought if you lived with the people you used to torment you’d realize how awful you’d been to them, but if anything you’re getting worse!”  Sadness was apparent in Akane’s large brown eyes as water began to collect in them.  “I know you’re not a broken person, so why are you doing this?”

“They’re not people, they’re bugs!” Gina protested, on the verge of frothing madness.  “They treat me like I’m a bug too, but I’m not!”

“Does this… have something to do with Shelby’s visits?” Akane asked.  “I remember you were getting better before they started, but you started getting worse when they became regular.  And that last one was really bad.”

In a moment of lucidity Gina seized on the opportunity.  “Yes, it’s them!” she agreed.  “I gave them everything, and they treat me like dirt in return!  They’re a bunch of ungrateful bitches.  If they had a single thankful bone in their body they’d appreciate what I did for them and make me big again.”

“I’ll see if I can keep them away from you next time, okay?” Akane offered, giving a slight smile.  “But for now, I need to keep you away from everyone else.  I can’t just let you crush everyone in there, you know?”  Gina began to protest, but Akane put a finger over her face to silence her   She did not want to treat her this way, but if Gina was going to act like a lunatic it left her little choice.

Akane looked around for somewhere to put her and spotted the empty glass she kept on the nightstand.  She quickly walked over, making sure to keep her hand steady so Gina would be safe, and picked it up with her free hand.  After draining the last couple drops from it she turned it upside down and set Gina beneath it.  Her fingers let Gina go and raced out of the glass right when she dropped it onto her.  Gina was trapped inside, but to be sure Akane pulled one of her old socks over it to block her view.  The last thing she wanted was for Gina and Veronica to see each other and become huge again.

With that settled Akane turned off the light and crawled into bed.  Gina’s tiny hands beat against the glass while she screamed about her treatment, but nothing would change Akane’s mind.  It was something she had to do for everyone’s safety, and she would not lose sleep over a delusional giantess’s tantrum.

I awoke to an earthquake rattling the floor and walls of my house, but quickly realized they were just footsteps.  A loud roar came from the other room, resolving to a pained moan after a second.  “Fuck, my head,” Mia muttered, shuffling her feet toward the door in a series of protracted booms and rumbles.  They stopped briefly while metal scraped against wood, then resumed after a soft thud.  There was a loud click from the door being unlatched, then a creak as it swung open.  It slammed shut, rattling windows and fixtures on the walls outside my tiny home, and Mia was finally gone.

About a minute after she left the floor started shaking again.  Whooshing from a much nearer door opening filled my ears, followed by the rhythmic, paired crashes of footsteps.  Tremors became stronger and more violent while they approached, then abruptly stopped.  I looked out a window and found an enormous tanned ankle dominating the view, with the rough, black canvas of a Converse leading to it.  With a gaze upward I saw a gargantuan leg stretching toward the sky, a small bar of black the highest thing I could see.  Slowly the Converse lurched forward, tapping the outer wall with its rubber toe twice with tremendous bangs.

“Time to wake up, little guy!” Fulda boomed.  “We’ve got a big day ahead of us, and I want to get started as soon as possible.”  It was rare that she felt the need to wake me up, but I knew she was serious about it.  The last time I kept her waiting too long she simply removed the roof and plucked me out of bed, giving me a solid shake on the way up.  Hoping to avoid a repeat of that I ran down the stairs and threw open the door, dashing out into the wider world of Fulda’s condo.

There was less than an inch between my door and her shoe, and I ran right into the gleaming white rubber.  Luckily, I managed to get my arms in front of me to keep from smashing my face against it, but kept leaning on the rubber while I recovered.  It was always a pleasure to look up at Fulda, enormous as she was, with her long, muscular legs towering over me, her shorts rolled so that they could be seen in their entirety.  At this point I was surprised she could even get them on, and if they were worn normally they would probably be torn to shreds.

“Good morning!” she greeted, looking down at me with a glint in her eyes.  “How’d you sleep?  Mia bother you any?”

“No, she was crashed on the couch all night,” I answered.  “Most of the morning, too.  I was starting to worry she died she was out so long.”

Fulda chuckled.  “I know, right?  I was waiting for her to leave before I came out here so I wouldn’t have to deal with her.  After that shit she pulled with nearly stepping on you I was worried I’d beat her pretty little face in.  Managed to get a solid work-out on with my home weights, though!”  She posed and flexed, trying to show off her arms despite her audience being by her shoe.  They were so far above me I could not see anything different about them, and they would have been massive to me regardless.

“Why are you so chipper, anyway?” I asked.  “She sounded like she was on the verge of death when she walked out.”

“It’s simple biology,” Fulda replied.  “I’m huge, so I can drink a lot.  She isn’t, but she tried to keep up with me.  It’s a wonder she didn’t puke on my couch, really.”  She paused to beam down proudly for a moment.  “Plus, today we get to do something that’s going to change your life for the better!”

“What’s that?” I responded.  “You going to sew me into your gym shorts or something?”

“Ooh, frisky!” Fulda exclaimed.  “And while that’s tempting, I was thinking something more fulfilling for you.”  She waited for me to guess, but I did not even bother.  I had no idea what she was getting at.  “I’m gonna set you up with some of my sorority sisters!”

I smiled involuntarily, then quickly stopped myself.  The idea was exciting, but I had some misgivings.  “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” I asked.  “I mean, I’m not even an inch tall, won’t it be dangerous?  Mia showed us last night that I’m still pretty vulnerable, and one wrong step will kill me.  Plus, I haven’t been on a date since high school, I’ll have no idea what I’m doing!”

“You didn’t have much of an idea then, either,” she teased.  “You,” Fulda began, then bent her enormous body in half.  She reached down, thumb and forefinger extended, and pinched me between them.  When she was sure I was secure she stood back up, raising me to her face.  While her cold eyes focused on me she finished, “need to stop worrying so much.  All of them have extensive experience with tiny people, they know what they can and can’t do without hurting you.”  With how little she had talked about her college experiences that was hardly reassuring.  “Besides, Mia said you’re cute, and she’s got high standards.  I’m sure they’ll find you adorable!”

Pinched between Fulda’s fingers, with her expansive face controlling my view, I got the feeling she had already made up her mind.  “This is happening no matter what I say, isn’t it?” I asked.

“Sure is!” Fulda answered, taking a step back toward her room.  “I don’t know why you’re so worried, you’ll be fine.  You didn’t freak out about a new person playing with you, and you seem okay with being lightly stepped on.  And my sisters are all super gorgeous and tall, you’ll love them.”  Springs creaked when she sat down on her mattress, then a chorus erupted beneath her and the world spun around me while she laid down on her bed.

“I’ve had some bad times with your sisters before, remember?” I said while she got comfortable, bouncing back and forth on the mattress.

“Different kind of sisters!” Fulda replied, laughing.  “None of these are power-mad psychos with a god complex.”  She lowered me until I was standing on her breast then opened her fingers, letting them linger until I got my footing.  When she was sure I would not fall she reached over and grabbed a laptop from the other side of the mattress, then set it on her stomach.  Her fingers opened the screen, then typed in her password, and the screen came up to her desktop.

“Just give me a sec to pull up the sorority’s page and we’ll get started, okay?”  She moved the cursor, and I struggled to maintain my balance while her breasts bounced with her movement.  They settled, and by the time I was able to focus on the theater-sized screen it had a tiled array of women’s headshots against a white background.  “Every member, past and present, is on here, complete with a bio and some stats.  We have some unusual and very stringent criteria so there aren’t very many of us, but I know all of them really well.”

“What kind of unusual criteria?” I asked, shifting my feet on the soft ground beneath me.

“For starters, you have to be six feet tall to even be considered,” Fulda explained.  “Unless someone vouches for you really well, then the requirement goes down to five-ten.  Then if we don’t like how someone looks we force them out, there’s all the hazing… it’s a pretty select group that makes it through everything.”  She clicked one of the pictures, making the ground jiggle again.  “That’s how I know everyone’s on the level.”

I looked at the screen, and a familiar pair of blue eyes was staring at me from a huge, tanned face.  “I think I already know her,” I said.  A column to the side read Fulda Stein, Founder, with her graduation year and major.  Curiously, just beneath her name it listed her height as 6’8” and size 16 shoes.  “You list your height and shoe size on the page?  Aren’t you worried that’ll attract the wrong kind of attention?”

“It got the exact attention we were looking for,” Fulda replied with a smirk.  “I really just wanted to show this off.”  She hit an arrow key, and the picture changed to the view I normally had of her.  A camera trick gave the impression that she was humongous, looking up from her ankles while she towered over a wide-angle lens.  “We call this ‘What we see, what you see.’  It made it clear from the outset what we were about as an organization.”

“That you’re all a bunch of height-obsessed loons who want to loom over terrified tiny people?”

“Yeah, that’s exactly it!”  Fulda gave me a gentle nudge with her fingertip, shoving me toward the center of her breast.  “You would’ve been right at home at one of our parties.  I would’ve loved to have you at one, they were a blast.”

“Too bad I didn’t make it to college for some reason.”

“Let’s move on to the next one!” Fulda hurriedly said, her voice strained.  The next picture had a pair of dark blue eyes on an alabaster face that I knew all too well.  Jessica Stein, current President, with her stats listed as well.  Apparently she never made it past 6’6”, though there was a wide gap between her and the shortest sister now.

“I think I’ve had enough to do with your sisters for ten lifetimes.”

“It’d be weird if you dated her too, right?  I’ll just move past her.”  With two quick taps she was onto the next one, a blond with gray eyes and a pair of spectacles.  Olga Sergeyeva, 5’10”.  She was obscenely pretty and fit, and the next picture showed a pair of nice, brown riding boots pulled over some tight jeans.  “So?  What do you think?”

“I don’t know, she’s only five-ten,” I said.

“Dude.  You’re an inch tall,” Fulda replied incredulously.  “She could squash you without even knowing and she’s too short for you?”

“Hey, it’s important to have standards!  Let’s put her as a maybe.”  Fulda sighed and clicked through to the next one, a solidly-built blond with sun-kissed skin and light blue eyes.  Helen Komnena, 6’6”.  The next picture showed that she dressed very similar to Fulda, except in all white, and was a little leaner.  “Yes, I like her.”

“All right, I’ll mark her down.”  Fulda tapped at her phone with one hand, then tapped through.  The next had her blond hair pulled back in a ponytail – lot of blonds, I noticed – and emerald green eyes.  Mariam Sterner, 6’4”.  In the next picture she was wearing a short jean skirt, showing her long, slender legs, and looking at the camera with a curious expression.  “Oh, Mariam, she’s perfect!” Fulda exclaimed.  “I had some problems with her because she was too nice, and – oh, she has a boyfriend.”

“Really?  Not that I don’t believe it, she’s very pretty, I just figured most of them didn’t get very attached.”

“Yeah, that was kind of the problem.  Looks like she’s dating someone she met at one of the parties after they got shrunk.  But hey, at least we know she’s open to dating shorter guys!”  Without saying anything else Fulda moved on, bringing up a pale woman with hot pink hair and radiant teal eyes.  Jacquelyn Fish, 6’1”.  The pink hair would normally put me off, but with her skin it worked for her, and in the next picture it looked like she preferred matching dresses and black ballet flats.  “Oh, Jackie!  She’s really fun to hang out with, super playful.  You’d have a blast with her.”

“Yeah, I’ll give it a shot,” I said, as though I were making a concession.  She was gorgeous, and Fulda seemed to like her, so I could definitely do worse.

“I’ll make a note of that too,” Fulda responded, typing it into her phone before going to the next one.  A woman with short blond hair and brown eyes looked down at me, and seemed to favor Mary Janes and poodle skirts from the next photo.  Edna Krandall, 6’3.”  “Ugh, Edna.  She’s kind of a bitch, and if you were dating her I’d have to see her again, and we didn’t exactly part on the best of terms…”

“Hey, if you don’t like her, then I don’t like her either,” I chimed in.

“Glad to have your support, little guy!”  Fulda stroked my hair, then tapped through.  The next woman was a sharp change from the rest.  For starters she was Asian, with pale skin and long black hair, her dark eyes seeming to bore into the camera.  Most of her information had apparently been scrubbed from the site, only listing her height as 6’0”.  The ground-level picture showed that she had a penchant for skirts and white Keds, with knee-high socks. 

“Who’s she?”

“That’s Li.  She’s… kind of mean, to be honest.  But she’s also incredibly smart and motivated, like you, and she’s chilled out a bit in the past year.  I think you two could get along pretty well.”

I thought it was odd that she auto-passed on Edna, but seemed to be pushing Li.  Still, she must have had her reasons, and with how protective she had become I doubted she’d hand me over to someone who would hurt me.  “Yeah, I’ll give her a try,” I agreed.

“Perfect!” Fulda exclaimed, slamming the laptop shut.  The breast I was on wobbled, toppling me over, and she giggled.  “Sorry, didn’t think you’d go down quite so easily.”

“Is that it?” I asked.  “I kind of want to see the rest.”

“Dude, that’s three dates you’ll have lined up, I haven’t even had one in the past six months.  You’ll live.  Now get back up, I need a picture for them.”

I tried to push myself up but my hands sank into the soft skin beneath me, and I had to shift myself around the curve of her breast to stand.  Fulda held her phone up and I tried to pose casually, then after a soft click she put it back down.  If that was all I needed to do, this whole thing was much easier than I expected.

“Why haven’t you been on any dates?” I asked.  “You’re pretty, smart, fun… I figured most guys would be fighting each other over you.  Is it because of me?”

Fulda grinned, and lightly caressed me with a finger.  “Oh, you’re sweet,” she said.  “It’d be easy to blame you, but it’s more complex than that.  Let’s just say I’m not every guy’s cup of tea and leave it at that, all right?”  She gave me a quick tap, shoving me back, and picked her phone back up.  “Try not to go too far, I might need to ask you some stuff while I get these set up.”  Her fingers typed away at her phone while I watched, eager to learn how this played out.

Gina screamed and berated Akane from inside her dark prison until her throat was raw, calling her every nasty name she could think of and coming up with a few more on the spot.  How dare she treat her this way, simply because she exercised her powers as a goddess?  Her fists furiously beat against the curved glass in a vain attempt to break it, succeeding only in hurting her fingers.  She continued her tantrum for hours until collapsing in a heap, her impotent rage the only thing staving off the realization that she was too small for her defiance to be heard by anyone but her.

After a while in a sobbing, heaving mess Gina cried herself to sleep, still in denial of her insignificance to everyone else.  The exhausted tiny giantess slept deeply for almost an entire day, the passage of time irrelevant to her inside the sock-covered glass.  Even Akane’s thundering footsteps failed to rouse her while she went about her chores tending to the village of tiny people on the other side of the room.  It was not until the door burst open and a veritable stampede shook the nightstand that she was shaken awake and immediately reminded of her state as a temporarily embarrassed giantess.

The floor continued to shake with a series of rumbling footsteps for several minutes while they paraded back and forth in front of the terrarium.  “Where’s Gina?” a tremendous voice demanded.  Shelby.  “We want to see our little friend!”  Gina had been referred to as their friend more in the past several months than in the whole time she had known them.  Either they were trying to convince themselves it was true, or it was just another aspect of their mockery.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Akane replied.  “She’s in a bad spot mentally, and I think it’s your fault.  Your constant terrorizing of her made her snap and have a breakdown last night, and she’s still recovering.”

“Aw, our little Gina isn’t feeling well!” Shelby exclaimed mockingly.  “But I bet seeing her gigantic, beautiful friends towering over her would make her feel better like that!”  She snapped, a dry, cracking sound that echoed inside Gina’s glass.

“Hey, I’m being serious,” Akane protested.  “You three are literally driving her insane, you can’t keep treating her like you have been.  It’s cruel, and as bad as she was she doesn’t deserve it.”

“Oh all right, you overgrown geisha,” Shelby began, and Akane decided to let that remark slide if it would keep Shelby amenable.  “I’ll make you a deal: you let us all see her one more time together as a group send-off, and from now on we’ll only come one at a time.  We’ll work out a schedule and everything, and none of us will hurt her so that everyone else can get their time with her too.  Sound good?”

“I have a better idea,” Akane countered.  “All of you walk out and leave her alone so she can have some dignity and not live in terror of the next time she’ll see you.  It’s what’s best for her.”

“I don’t like that idea, though,” Shelby responded.  “I don’t think they’re too hot about it either.”  Ashley and Julie offered token grunts of support, and Shelby continued.  “And while you’re a little bigger than all of us, it’ll be three against one.  It wouldn’t be too long until you’re about Gina’s size, and then we’d move on to you.  Keep in mind that we all liked Gina, but I always thought you were kind of a bitch.”  The other two offered their support for Shelby’s statement.  “Same offer, and this time I want you to think really hard before you answer.”

There was a long silence while Akane thought it over.  Though she wanted to protect Gina’s fragile psyche, Shelby had made it clear that she would be little more than a speedbump for them.  None of them would care for the other tiny people like she did, and they would be no better off than when Gina was in charge.  She had to think of the bigger picture.  “Okay fine,” Akane finally agreed.  “She’s in that upturned glass under the sock.  Just try to go easy on her, she really is having a bad time.”

“Sure, whatever,” Shelby said as she brushed by Akane, barely even listening to her.  The others followed her closely, paying no attention to the enormous Japanese girl in the middle of the room.  Shelby leaned over the nightstand, bringing her face as close to the glass as possible without nudging it.  She gingerly gripped the glass with two fingers, careful not to move it and confident that the sock pulled around it would muffle the sound.  With a single, swift motion she tore it away, revealing a tiny cowering Gina where it had been.

At the sight of Shelby’s enormous, sun-kissed face looming over her Gina let out a blood-curdling shriek.  “Hi, Gina!” Shelby exclaimed, her booming voice shocking Gina into silence.  “Did you miss me?”  While the shrunken woman stammered for an answer Shelby swiped at her, easily engulfing her with a hand.  She closed her fingers tight, keeping her sealed inside her fist while quickly bringing it to her face.

With a theatrical flourish Shelby opened her fingers and let out a deep, rumbling laugh at the miniature blond cowering in her palm.  “Aw, is little Gina scared of her big ol’ friend?” she teased, keeping her only a few inches from her mouth.  Gina could not bear to look up at the gigantic features bearing down on her, and the sight of her lips so close brought back painful memories of being thrown between them yesterday.

“Hey!” Shelby snapped, making Gina flinch.  “Look at me when I’m talking to you, you little shit!”  She gave her a rough shove with a finger, driving her friend toward her fingers.  Gina let out a sob and peeked from behind her hands, spotting Shelby’s tree trunk-sized finger still just millimeters away.  Whimpering the whole time, she slowly dropped her hands and turned toward the titanic lips just across the palm.

“There.  Was it really so hard to show me a little respect?” Shelby boomed.  Gina quivered while the powerful voice pounded her insides, and she thought about taking a swan dive off her hand to deny her the pleasure. 

Shelby jabbed her again, striking her over her whole torso and pushing her back onto her fingers.  “I asked you a question you ungrateful bitch!” she shouted, making Gina’s ears ring.  She glowered at her with furious green eyes, and Gina let out a little squeak.  “I would think that you of all people should know what happens when a tiny little bug like you defies a giantess like me.  So let’s try this one more time, huh?”  Her other hand dropped to her side so that her finger would no longer imperil Gina.  “Are you going to start showing me some respect?”  In her measured rage she carefully enunciated every syllable so that there would be no doubt about what she said.

A streak of defiance shot through Gina, and she squared up with the mammoth nose facing her.  “When you start being worthy of it,” she replied.  Her words were shaky, but as she spoke she built confidence.  Before long she felt like a giantess again, oblivious to the fact that she was being held in someone’s hand.  “You’re not a giantess, you’re just a bully with delusions of grandeur.  I grew you from your unremarkable height and you stepped on my back at the first opportunity, you bitch.  I should’ve shrunk you and kept you as my pet, but that’s too good for you now.  I guarantee you won’t get a second chance to fuck me over.”

Shelby grinded her teeth together while Gina ranted, fighting the urge to snap her fingers shut and pulverize her.  That would be too quick an escape for her.  Instead she took a deep, calming breath, then exhaled through her mouth, buffeting Gina with a blast of wind from between her lips.  “I hope you change your tune by tomorrow,” she purred, “otherwise you’re going to have a really bad time.”  She lowered her hand so that her face would no longer be looming over her and Gina stumbled on her fingers.  “Okay, who wants her next?”

“I do!” Julie shouted, swinging upward for Shelby’s hand.  Her fingers connected with a slap, and when it suddenly stopped Gina was pitched into the air.  Julie’s brown eyes followed the diminutive woman while she flipped head over heels, luxuriating in her high-pitched squeal.  When she was at her apex Julie struck, swinging her hand in a great arc toward her.  She snatched Gina out of the air, making her stomach lurch with the jolt.  Her hand continued its wide arc while Gina screeched inside it, doing her best to endure the centrifugal force.

When her fingers opened Julie was peering down at Gina, the tiny woman standing defiantly before the colossal face.  Compared to Shelby, there was little to fear from the dark-headed woman.  She might be mean, but Shelby had spent her entire childhood learning how to bully people smaller than her from Gina. 

“Hi Gina,” Julie said, drawing out her name.  “I still can’t get over how small you are now!”  Her free hand crept toward the tiny woman standing in her palm, thumb and middle finger outstretched.  The fingers clamped around her sides, plucking her off the broad, fleshy plain.  Gina protested, but Julie spoke over her whisper of a voice.  “Especially with how you used to make fun of me for being short, remember that?”

Gina squirmed against her grip while the titaness raised her to eye level, though Julie barely noticed her struggle.  “You used to threaten to step on me pretty much every day and seemed to love towering over me.  That’s why it’s so surprising you wanted to be tiny!”  She waved her hand back and forth, making Gina’s arms and legs swing wildly with the movement.  “After years of making me feel small, it turns out you were just jealous!”

Gina wanted to scream at her, but with the constant movement she had difficulty gathering her thoughts beyond reassuring herself to stay calm.  She flopped while Julie kept her in turmoil, the much larger woman grinning at her discomfort the whole time.  Julie was amazed at how little Gina fought back, and how fun it was to play with her!  It was almost too easy, but it was a fitting revenge.  Besides, Gina had never shown any leniency to the people she shrank, so why should she get any?

Julie suddenly stopped, making Gina lurch uncomfortably between her fingers.  She held her between her eyes so that she could watch her squirm, then raised her free hand to her level.  As if trying to build anticipation she raised a finger toward her, pointing at the tiny woman in her hand.  “I’ll come see you in a couple days, if there’s anything left of you once Shelby’s done,” she said with a smirk.  “I know how much you ache for someone to make you feel small, and I can give you exactly what you want.”  She concluded with a chuckle, the low rumble from her throat making Gina’s insides shake, then lowered the tiny woman to her hips fast enough to make her stomach churn.

“Hey Ashley, catch!” Julie called, pitching the puny blond forward in an underhanded toss.  Gina flew toward the much larger blond in an uncontrolled arc, letting out a terrified shriek the whole way.  Ashley watched the tiny woman’s approach impassively, not even taking her hands off her hips as she drew near.  Her only reaction was a small grin when Gina collided with her boob, then bounced off harmlessly and plummeted to the floor.

Gina tumbled on her way down Ashley’s tremendous body, with everything flashing by too quickly for her to have any idea how far off the ground she was.  She landed hard on the thick carpet, the breath rushing out of her when her back slammed into the floor.  Ashley looked down at her dismissively, only able to spot her because she had followed her descent with her big blue eyes.

“Don’t get too close to my feet,” Ashley boomed, glaring at the tiny woman almost lost amid the carpet fibers.  “You’ll have plenty of time for that in a few days.”  Gina looked up at her towering former friend, trying to focus even though her vision was still blurry from the fall.  She had her hands planted on her hips, trying to make herself imposing just as Gina had taught her, and looked down at her with an expression of haughty disdain.  Ashley had made great strides as a giantess in the past few months, Gina had to admit, and had the demeanor down perfectly.  However, she was still an impostor, and deserved to be crushed like an insect beneath her foot.

“Fuck you,” Gina spat at her hoarsely, but her voice was too quiet and far away for the comparatively gigantic woman to hear.  There was a litany of profanity Gina wanted to shout at her, but she lacked the breath to do so.  Not that it would matter anyway; Gina knew from experience that it was next to impossible to hear a tiny person from the floor.  If she survived her days with Shelby and Julie, there would be plenty of time later.

Ashley stared at her silently, trying to decide what she should do.  Finally, she looked away from the woman nearly trapped in the carpet to speak to Akane.  “Well, she’s all yours,” she said.  “Try to keep her in one piece until we all get a turn, okay?”  With that she turned on her heels and walked away, her feet pounding the floor with each step.  Shelby and Julie walked after her, creating a constant rumbling through the ground while they walked out and down the stairs.

When they were gone Gina got to her feet and looked around.  She was remarkably close to the dilapidated house she’d made her boy toy live in, and if she could get seen from the table top she might be able to make contact with Veronica.  It was the only shot she had at getting big again since nobody else was going to help her.  Gina sprinted toward the run-down building resting on the edge of the table, leaping over the tall carpet fibers like hurdles.  How had her little bugs run away so fast when she was chasing them?

A colossal brown loafer set down in her path, and Gina ran face-first into the leather wall.  She staggered back and looked up the enormous black column of Akane’s sock to the pleasantly pale thighs showing beneath her plaid skirt.  Gina continued visually ascending her body until she found her round face, and saw that her large, dark eyes were staring back at her.

“You know I can’t let you do that,” Akane admonished her, wagging a finger.  “You two are trouble, and I don’t want you terrorizing my little friends anymore.”  She leaned over and set her hand on the floor, palm up, with her fingers toward Gina.  “Now hop up so I can put you somewhere safe.”

Gina scowled at Akane’s hand, with the fingers up to her knees and the wide, cupped palm waiting for her.  She grunted and kicked the tip of Akane’s middle finger, shouting “No!”  She turned away and pouted, refusing to do anything Akane said.

“Come on Gina, please?” Akane asked.  “It’s too dangerous to leave you on the floor.”  Gina stood still, not even looking at the hand outstretched toward her.  “If you don’t I’ll have to grab you, and I really don’t want to do that.”

“Oh yeah?” Gina came back, still not looking at the Japanese giantess.  “Just like you didn’t want Shelby and them to keep seeing me but caved immediately?”

“That was different!” Akane replied, exasperated.  “If I didn’t agree they’d just shrink me too, and then we’d all be in the same boat.  I know you don’t want me to, but I can help you, I really can.  You just have to trust me.”

“That’s rich, coming from you,” Gina retorted.  “You just sold me out, and I’m supposed to trust you?  Fat chance.”

“Try to see the bigger picture!  Nobody wins if we’re both tiny and you know that!  I just need you to take the first step into my hand and we can build from there.”  There was a long silence, and Akane offered one more thing.  “I promise I won’t put you in a glass, or a sock, or anything.  Until I go to bed I’ll let you say out with me.”

That got Gina’s attention.  “And what about when you go to bed?” she asked.

“I’ll find somewhere nice for you to sleep, don’t worry,” Akane answered.  “It won’t be terrarium, and it won’t be trapped in a glass on the nightstand.  It’ll be somewhere comfortable.  But the deal’s only good if you get into my hand without me asking again, okay?”

Gina glared at the hand.  It would be so easy and satisfying to keep defying her and make her do something she did not want to.  Being free for an evening, even if she did have to spend it with Akane, did appeal to her though.  She groaned and stepped up onto Akane’s extended fingers, then walked along them to her palm.  “I’m not doing this for you, I just don’t want to be caged again!” she declared, making it clear that she accepted this deal with protest.

“Of course you aren’t,” Akane gently replied, waiting for Gina to reach the middle of her cupped palm.  When she stood in the center she began to slowly raise it, making sure not to shock or jostle Gina too much.  Once she had the tiny woman at waist level she leaned back against the bed and slipped off her shoes, then swung her legs onto the bed.  Carefully she set her hand down on her tummy and let Gina walk off, sure to let her do everything by herself.  The last thing she wanted to do was spook her and send her back into needless rebellion.

Once she was on her chest Akane began talking casually with Gina, cautious not to talk down to her or act threatening in any way.  It took a while for her to give more than one- or two-word answers, but once she realized there was no other game in town she began to open up.  The two talked for several hours, and though Gina would not agree they were friends she had come to loathe her a little less by the end.  When they were done Akane set her in one of the shoes she wore the least and gave her a handkerchief to use as a blanket.  Even though Gina might not agree, she felt they made some progress, and she drifted off to sleep content.

I stood on the table watching Fulda stomp back and forth, her stockinged feet making everything in her apartment rattle.  She was gathering the last few things for her outfit, though I did not see the point of her getting dressed up so much.  To fill the time I combed my hair to the side with my fingers and cracked my knuckles, knowing that if I hurried her she would just get frustrated.  Fulda had been gracious enough to provide me with a suit in my size for the night, though I doubted it was not shoplifting simply because she had made it tiny before walking out with it.

After several minutes of running around Fulda stopped in front of me, the hem of her black evening gown not quite reaching the table.  She gazed down from the top of her towering form, spotting me just where she had left me, and said, “I still can’t believe Jackie was ready on such short notice, it’s a good thing I know the manager at this place and could pull some strings to get you two in.”

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” I asked.  “It’s a big world out there, and every time I meet someone new it gets worse.”

“Aw, is someone getting itty-bitty cold feet?” Fulda teased.  “Trust me, you have nothing to be afraid of.  Jackie’s one of my oldest friends!  Besides, if something goes wrong or she tries to hurt you I’ll just be a couple tables over keeping an eye on you.  You’ll be fine, and I’m sure you and Jackie will hit it off.”

“Well, if you’re sure…” I replied, tugging at my jacket.  There was no point arguing with her about it now anyway, I was going and that was the end of it.  “I’m ready when you are, then.” 

“Glad to hear it.”  She reached down and pinched me between two long, tanned fingers, plucking me off the flat surface of the table.  Slowly she lifted me until I was level with her chest, then moved me over her open clutch.  Her fingers released and I was sent plunging into the small bag, landing softly on the lining between the column of her lipstick tube and the great disc of her compact.  I found my way to a corner so I would be less likely to be crushed by the bag’s contents while she walked around.

Fulda left it open, looking at me tenderly with her normally cold eyes.  “Sorry about this little guy,” she began, “but I’m trying to be inconspicuous.  I’ll try to give you a comfortable ride, okay?”  She began to close it, but just before the light was blocked she stopped.  “And remember to be yourself!  She’s a cool lady and you’re a cool guy, there’s no need to put on airs just because she’s a couple thousand times your size.”  Her fingers closed the clutch with a loud snap and I was surrounded by darkness while the smooth, steady rhythm of Fulda’s gait swept me back and forth inside her clutch.

I heard muffled voices from outside and the swaying resumed, and I figured we must be getting close.  After a few more swaying steps she came to a sudden stop, throwing me forward against the cold lipstick tube.  A loud click filled the small space, and I looked up to see Fulda’s blue eyes peering down at me.  The room around her was dimly lit, casting long shadows over her face, but her pearly white teeth still shined behind her dark lipstick.

“Looks like we’re a bit early,” she said, reaching into the bag.  Her fingers gently gripped my chest and pulled me out of the clutch, lifting me up to her face for a moment.  “Just like I expected.  I’ll leave you on the table somewhere she’ll be able to see and let you get ready.  Remember, if you need anything at all, I’ll be nearby and listening.  Just holler and I’ll come see what’s up.”  Fulda lowered me from her face and set me on the plain white tablecloth, then pulled her hand away.  She gave me a small wave before walking away, leaving me alone with the fake candle and empty vase behind me.

I tried to gather my thoughts and prepare myself for what was about to happen.  Fulda seemed to have confidence in her as a friend, but had been evasive about what her sorority did during college, which did not speak well of their treatment for tiny men.  Did she even know about my situation?  It would be unbearably awkward if she walked in expecting to find a relatively normal-sized guy, then looked down to see me.  What if she had agreed to come out because I was tiny, and she wanted another chance to torment one?  There were a million ways this could go wrong and only a couple it could go well.

Fortunately, I did not have too long to imagine disasters.  A tall woman, pale enough to reflect the small amount of light in the restaurant, was being led toward my table by the hostess, eagerly looking over her head to see what she was walking into.  She was dressed predominantly in pink, with straight, chin-length hot pink hair and a sleeveless dress down to her knees.  A black belt was cinched around her waist with a silver buckle, pulling it tight against her thin body, and her long, slender legs were given extra definition by white stockings.  Her long feet were in simple black ballet flats, stepping carefully behind the hostess to avoid running over her heels.

She gripped the back of the chair in front of me and pulled it back, dragging its legs over the carpet, then carefully sat down in it.  With a couple quick jerks forward she pulled herself back beneath the table and looked at her place setting.  While I watched her looming body get situated I felt the pictures did not do her justice.  Her teal eyes brimmed with energy, and the subtle movements of her thin, pink lips while she glanced around nervously made me eager to stand atop them.  Even her long, pointed nose only added to her beauty, pulling together the rest of her features in a neat package.

“Hey Jackie, down here!” I called out giving her a wave.  “I’m Fulda’s friend, she set us up!”  The giantess continued looking around impassively, so I gave it another shot.  “Jackie, look at the table!  I’m your date tonight!”  Her eyes scanned the room, looking everywhere except where I was.

Finally her teal eyes glanced at me, but from her disgusted expression I could tell she was far from pleased to see me.  “Unbelievable,” she said, her voice a quiet rumble.  She moved an arm onto the table, fingers outstretched to swat me, and I pulled myself into a protective stance.  I did not even bother shouting: I would be mush by the time Fulda got over here.  “Fifty dollars a plate here and they can’t even give me a clean table.”  Her hand swept toward me, and I watched it approach with trepidation.  At least she was not going to flatten me just yet.

Jackie’s fingers struck me at full force, flinging me from the table.  My back curved with the contour of her fingers while she followed through, and I flew off when her hand came to an abrupt stop.  I tumbled through the air until I collided with the thigh of a waitress walking past, digging into the linen of her trousers.  She stepped forward while I slid down her leg, and I rolled off her knee like it was a ski slope.  From there I plummeted toward the floor, and I tucked my arms and legs in before hitting the carpet.  Thankfully I was not dashed to bits on impact and rolled forward until a large object stopped me.

The wall I was against bulged outward, and I uncurled myself to lie prone on the floor.  A long, curved black ledge hung over me, stretching in either direction until it curved away.  Above that a towering pillar of white hundreds of feet tall stretched toward the dark sky of the table’s underside, with a sliver of pink near the column’s top.  Serendipity had brought me back beneath Jackie’s chair, and I was going to get her attention now.

I stood up, bracing myself against the outward curve of her shoe, and surveyed the climb up.  Scaling a leg was hardly new to me, and the fine mesh of her stockings should make it easy going.  She would not even be trying to swat me while I ascended her shin, making it even easier.  The first step, getting onto her shoe and walking over her foot, would be the hardest, and I had gotten plenty of practice with that over the years.

Confidently I placed my hands on the upward side of the shoe and jumped, using my hands to help push me onto its side.  I reached forward and grabbed the edge where it opened up for her foot, holding me steady while I pulled myself the rest of the way up.  Slowly I got to my feet, leaning forward to compensate for the uneven ground, and mentally prepared myself.  Just a quick dash over her foot to her ankle and I would be on my way up.

Jackie’s heel kicked up before I could start moving, bowling me over from the sudden steep slope.  I landed hard further down her foot and rolled back onto the carpet beside her foot, then the shoe slammed back to the floor.  With a glance back I saw that her heels had popped out, leaving nothing to keep the shoe aloft.  Slowly she slid her foot out of the shoe then set her feet back down atop them, squishing her shoes with her feet.  It was a bit of a setback, but with her stockings in reach now not much of one.

I stood back up and regarded the enormous feet beside me, ripe to clamber up.  I reached out with both hands and grabbed onto the fine nylon mesh, making sure my hold was firm before trying to pull myself onto it.  Suddenly Jackie lifted her foot and moved it to the side, taking me with it while I clung to the side.  Once I realized what was happening I let go, dropping back to the floor and rolling along the carpet while her foot continued moving over me.

Jackie’s foot stopped while I was still in its shadow and began a rapid descent.  Her enormous foot crashed down on top of me with a thud, pinning me beneath her sole.  She pressed down onto me harder and I gritted my teeth against the increased pressure, unable to even yelp in pain from the lack of air.  While she pressed her foot against me I felt the mesh of her nylons digging into my skin, marking me from the dozens of threads crossing over exposed areas.

Before I was squashed she abruptly raised her foot, freeing me from the sweltering prison beneath her sole.  I looked up at the gleaming white fabric pulled tight around the gargantuan foot, leaving each of her toes and every subtle curve explicitly defined.  My eyes were immediately drawn to it thanks to the shimmering white fabric, though there was not much else to look at anyway.  Its sheer size dominated my vision, and I could not even glance away.

The foot swung back down on top of me, smushing me between it and the carpet before quickly rising back up.  Jackie’s tremendous foot swung down again, making my arms and legs splay out while it made brief contact before retreating again.  It hit me once more, briefly compressing my ribs before letting me go.  About once a second her sole would slap me then pull away before it could do any real damage, but the incessant barrage was quickly becoming unnerving as I realized any of these strikes could easily flatten me.

After a dozen taps her foot came to a rest atop me, holding me firmly beneath it.  It pressed down harder and I clenched my teeth again to help bear it, then she lifted her heel, pressing down with even more force.  With what little air I had left I cried out into the unhearing soft sole on top of me, trying to get through this.  She began twisting her foot slowly back and forth, grinding it against me, and my body was torn between staying totally pinned and moving along with her foot.  The pain put me beyond rational thought, and any instant I expected my body to give out and turn to mush.

Thankfully it stopped, and she picked her foot up once more.  I was firmly stuck to Jackie’s foot and moved with it, my body making a deep indentation on her sole.  Her foot rapidly shot to the side and set down against something, overcoming the force attaching me to her stocking.  My body detached from her sole and landed on a hard leather surface in what appeared to be a cave that smelled strongly of feet.  The titanic foot above pointed downward and began gliding inside, and I realized I was inside her shoe.

“And how are you two doing?” a voice asked when her foot was halfway in.  I recognized it was Fulda, coming to check up on me.  Maybe she would be able to end this farce of a date and get me back to safety.

“Are you kidding?” Jackie asked, sliding the rest of her foot in.  Her heel landed right on top of me, pinning me beneath it.  “He stood me up!”

“No, he’s been here the whole time,” Fulda countered.  “I made sure he was at this table when I got here.”  Jackie raised her foot, giving me a brief rush before slamming it back down.  Her heel ground into me, compressing my body from the impact, but miraculously leaving me unsmashed.

“He must have wandered off then,” Jackie replied, raising her foot more slowly this time, “because I don’t see him here.”

“Jackie he’s in your shoe!” Fulda blurted when her shoe began racing downward again.  I felt the shock of her toes hitting the ground as it ran up her foot to suffuse my bones, and I readied myself for the final explosion of pain before her heel crushed me.  The great impact never came, however, and I was left trapped beneath Jackie’s foot while she tried to process the information.

Slowly her foot went back up as though she was in disbelief over what she had been told, or nearly done.  The shoe deformed slightly while she gripped it before she took it off, pulling it off her heel then carefully sliding her foot out of it.  Cupping it like precious cargo in her hand she lifted it to her lap, where she set it down on her legs.  I looked up the enormous pink tower to find her gazing back at me, her teal eyes wide with shock.

After a beat of surprise she whispered, “Holy shit, I am so sorry, I had no idea!”   She turned to look at Fulda and said, “Why didn’t you tell me you were setting me up with a shrink?  I would’ve been more careful if you told me, you know!”

“The picture I sent was him standing on my boob, wasn’t that enough?” Fulda replied.  “And I’m pretty sure he doesn’t like being called a shrink.”

“What does he like to be called, then?” Jackie asked.  “So that I don’t offend him for the rest of our date.”

“He generally prefers something along the lines of little guy, at least compared to the derogatory term we made up for the people we shrank,” Fulda explained.  “If you’re going to continue this date you should probably get him out of your shoe.”

“Oh, right!”  Apparently, the idea I might not enjoy being in her shoe had not occurred to Jackie.  She reached in with two long, slender fingers and plucked me off her insole, then lifted me up to her face.  Her huge teal eyes considered me, then she smiled and said, “Nice to meet you, little guy!  Ready to get started finally?”

“Now hold on!” I shouted.  “Don’t I get a say in this?  She almost killed me, like, twenty times just now, and I reek of her feet!  At the very least I should get some time to recover so we can try this again another day.”

Jackie seemed to consider it, as though she would force me to endure the rest of the night with her.  “Oh, you’re right, I guess,” she finally said.  “And I could use some time to think about whether I really want to date a sh- little guy.”

Fulda held out her hand, palm up.  “We’ll get this all sorted out, don’t worry,” she said, gesturing toward Jackie with her fingers.  “Now hand him over so I can take him home for the night and we can talk about this.”

“Oh… oh yes, of course.”  Jackie slowly moved me into Fulda’s palm, making sure I was standing firmly on her skin before letting go.  She snapped her hand back into her lap and looked at me bashfully.  “Well, I’m sure I would’ve had a great time if I’d known you were here, and I look forward to seeing you again!” she said, then went to put her shoe back on.

Fulda walked away, holding me close enough to touch her rounded nose.  “So?  What’d you think?”

“She’s pretty, and seems interested,” I began, “but she’s really absent-minded.  Let’s say maybe on her, at least until after I meet the others.”

“Agreed,” Fulda said, clamping her fingers around me.  “There are plenty of whales in the sea for a minnow like you.”  She grinned and opened her clutch, holding it beneath me.  Her fingers released, dropping me back between her compact and lipstick, then she closed it again to carry me back home.

Gina clambered up onto the toe of Akane’s enormous brown loafer that she had slept in the night before.  While she was kept in containment it had never occurred to her that there would simply be nothing for an inch-tall person to do in her room.  To make matters worse, Akane had blocked off half the room with a makeshift wall to make sure she would be unable to talk to Roni.  The only thing she had for entertainment while her gigantic custodian was out was her building-sized shoe, which she decided to climb on like a jungle gym.  As she dragged herself up onto the wide brown platform she noticed a little more definition in her biceps, and grinned when she thought about how much of a powerhouse she would be back at full size.

Thundering footsteps came up the stairs, and Gina began crawling along the stitching toward the tongue.  The pounding grew louder, with about a second between each thud, and Gina subconsciously counted the steps while her hands slid over the exposed stitching.  As expected, after eight they died off, replaced by dull vibrations running through the floor from the stairs’ landing.  In only a few seconds the door would open, and for better or worse Gina would no longer be alone.

After a low thump the door cracked open, and Gina saw a plaid curtain fluttering through the opening.  With another push the door opened wide and Akane strode through the door, her feet gliding over the carpet in black, knee-high socks.  Gina watched scornfully while the Asian giantess walked to the large glass terrarium with a metal bowl full of food in each hand.  Although she still hated Akane, she felt some relief that it was not Shelby: the worst Akane would do was moralize a little.

“Good afternoon, my little friends!” Akane said cheerily when she came to a stop.  “I hope you didn’t miss me too much.”  The terrarium lid’s hinges when she opened it, neglecting the small hatch Gina had used when she wanted to interact with her collection of bugs.  “It’s so good to see you again, Natalie!  Your shining face always brightens my day.”  Gina rolled her eyes and swung her legs over the side of the shoe.  It was bad enough she referred to them by name, did she have to compliment them, too?

“Kimberly, you look amazing!” Akane continued, and Gina groaned.  “Why, if you were my size, nobody would be able to take their eyes off you.”  Gina dropped onto the carpet, landing in a crouch to absorb the force of the fall.  When she was recovered she turned toward the nearby titaness, who let out a bubbly giggle while she conversed with the tiny people.  After choking down her disgust she began walking toward the towering woman.

Akane’s inane conversation with the tiny people continued while Gina fought through the carpeting toward her.  With each step she had to raise her foot over the knee-high fibers, straining her muscles that were still burning from her time on the shoe.  Fortunately, Akane could slather empty-headed praise onto the society of tiny people for hours of unchecked, giving Gina plenty of time to make it to her.

When Gina arrived at Akane’s feet, the giantess was asking one of the newer arrivals what he did for fun before ending up here.  While she looked up at her, Gina had to stifle the sense of awe she felt every time she looked up at Akane.  She was not even taller than her heel, and it would take several minutes to reach the small bulge of her ankle poking out from inside the dark spire of her sock.  Then there was the vast expanse of pale skin above that leading beneath her skirt, broad enough that Gina could use it as a playground if she could stand looking at Akane for more than two minutes.  There was something about how casual she was, too, that seemed to multiply the effect, as though she was naturally gigantic compared to other people.

Gina shook herself out of it before she started developing actual respect for Akane and started trying to get her attention.  She leaned forward and pushed hard against her foot, slipping her hands through the threading to touch the smooth skin beneath it.  Her initial efforts yielded nothing while Akane yammered away above, so she ran her hands back and forth, trying to tickle her.  Finally, she rapidly slapped the skin, creating a flurry there was no way she could ignore.

Unfortunately, before Akane could properly acknowledge Gina, the door swung open again, this time hard enough to slam against the wall.  Gina peeked past Akane’s ankles to see a pair of white socks standing in the doorway with form-fitting jeans hugging the interloper’s legs.  Shelby had come for her visit right on time.  Gina wanted to run and hide, but she knew it would do no good.  With their immense size disparity, Shelby would be able to catch Gina before she made it to cover.

“Hey there, Akane!” Shelby exclaimed, slamming the door behind her.  Her voice radiated excitement, like she had been looking forward to this all day.  “Is Gina around?”

“Yeah, she’s on my foot,” Akane answered without hesitation.  “Want me to get her for you?”

“Please.”  Before Gina could pull her hands back Akane raised her foot, bringing the tiny blond with it.  Gina’s world spun rapidly while Akane brought her foot around, and Gina strained her arms to keep from falling off the heel.  Her legs dangled in the air while she gritted her teeth, trying to remain aloft.  She knew it was a no-win situation: a drop to the floor could seriously injure her, but she did not want to be tormented by Shelby either.  Ultimately, whatever Shelby had in store for her would be worse than a pair of shattered legs.

Akane’s foot stopped, presenting Gina toward her former friend.  Shelby’s eyes lit up upon seeing the shrunken woman dangling helplessly, and she wasted no time leaning over and plucking her off the foot.  Gina shrieked when the thumb and forefinger grabbed her by the chest, but her scream was cut off when Shelby jerked her off the foot.  Shelby stood back up, cradling Gina between her digits, and raised the tiny woman to her face.

“Hi Gina!” Shelby bellowed, overwhelming the smaller woman with an assault of sound and wind.  “Did you miss me while I was gone?”  Her green eyes were shining in excitement, and her lips were pulled wide in a smile, revealing white, perfectly straight teeth nearly the size of her captive.

“Like you care,” Gina spat.  “Why don’t you just skip the foreplay and get right to it?”

“Aw, you’re no fun!” Shelby replied.  She brought her other hand up and poked Gina in the chest, causing her to sputter as the wind rushed out of her lungs.  “I just wanted to have a conversation with my little friend and find out how she’s doing.”

“Excuse me,” Akane interjected, drawing Shelby’s attention, “but would you mind going over by the bed for this?  I’m trying to talk to these tiny people and you’re killing the mood.”

“Fine,” Shelby answered, rolling her eyes so far back it looked like she was having a stroke.  She turned her eyes back to Gina and said, “You’re lucky you’re so puny I can just pick you up and carry you wherever.  Even though you’re the size of a bug that just makes us even more inseparable!”  Gina tried to manage a pithy comeback, but all she could manage was a small wheeze.

Shelby’s immense size relative to her shielded Gina from the disorienting effects of her walking, but she still felt the pounding of each step in her gut.  Though it was only a few steps, by the time Shelby stopped Gina felt like she had been thoroughly worked over.  She choked in a few more breaths, hoping she would be able to steady herself for whatever was in store for her.

A shadow fell over Gina while Shelby curled her hand, then the fingers holding her chest released.  Gina yelped during the freefall, but before she knew it she had landed in a deep dimple on Shelby’s meaty palm.  She toppled backwards, splaying her arms and legs over the soft flesh, and Shelby quickly leveled out her hand while Gina lay there trying to recover. 

A mountain of dark red hair rose over the base of Shelby’s palm, followed by a pair of brilliant green eyes.  Her dilated pupils immediately locked onto Gina lying in her hand, and she had to stifle a laugh.  “Look at you, so helpless!” she declared, causing the captive woman’s insides to rumble.  “But so adorable, too.  Why, I could just eat you up.”

Gina’s eyes widened.  Shelby had threatened to eat her many times before, and each time she visited she came a little closer to doing it.  Fearing that this might be the time, she began scooting away from the massive eyes looming over the horizon.  She frantically kicked her feet at the wrinkled skin around her and churned her arms, trying to get as far away from the gigantic head as possible.

Shelby raised her fingers to form a wall and laughed, creating a chilling rumble that filled Gina with a sense of dread.  “Aw, what’s the matter?” she asked.  “Don’t you want to join me for an after-school snack?”  Her pursed lips crested the cliff of her palm, followed by her rounded chin.  While Gina stared up at her she slowly licked her lips, embellishing the motion, then let a deep moan escape from deep in her throat.

Gina bumped into the wall of fingers, and Shelby grinned.  “I think I’ll have a little taste, first,” she purred, and began bringing her face toward the tiny woman.  As the lips approached Gina let out a whimper, but there was nothing else she could do as Shelby’s mouth gradually filled more of her vision.  When it filled her view a blast of warm air came down from Shelby’s nose, and Gina gaped up at her in panic.

After waiting a moment to build trepidation Shelby’s lips parted, and a broad pink tongue came out from between them.  Small strands of saliva broke off as it the glistening tentacle slowly came toward her, and all Gina could do was watch in shock.  The tongue pressed against the length of her body, wrapping her in its warmth and a thin blanket of saliva.  All it would take is a single flick and Gina would be inside her mouth and on her way to being swallowed.

Suddenly the tongue pulled back, blasting Gina with cold when it withdrew.  Shelby let out a loud moan and narrowed her eyes, working her jaw up and down while she considered the flavor.  “Hm.  Bitter and sour, with a whole lot of salt, just how I expected you’d taste.  Better give it a second try just to be sure.”  Shelby’s tongue extended again, but this time only the tip touched Gina.  She moved from her head down toward her feet like syrup being poured, drenching her with saliva, then moved back up her body.  All the while Gina fought back tears but could not stifle her quiet wails.  During all her time as a giantess she had never been this cruel before eating somebody.

Shelby pulled her tongue back and her face contorted in a grimace.  “Ew, you’re even worse the second time,” she declared.  “Better gulp you down quick so I don’t retch.”  Her lips parted, revealing the cavernous maw behind them lined with great walls of ivory on the top and bottom.  Shelby’s tongue twitched with anticipation, and the lips drew closer to the crying woman.

The massive platform Gina was on began to rapidly grow smaller, and in an instant there was no way she would be able to fit inside Shelby’s mouth.  The red-headed titaness let out a surprised grunt and pulled her head away, trying to deal with the weight in her hand becoming increasingly heavier.  She tried to clamp her hands around Gina’s waist but it was too late, and her arm finally wave away under the strain of trying to keep Gina aloft.  The blond fell out of Shelby’s grip, landing on the floor in a heap at her feet.

Gina looked up at Shelby with excitement.  No longer did she feel like a bug about to get squashed, more like she had simply fallen.  She shot back up to her feet while Shelby looked around, hoping to drive home how the tables had turned.  If she could shrink her before she even realized what had happened, she might be able to hear the most delicious scream of her life.

Before she could reduce Shelby down to a bug size something gave her pause.  Behind her was a great wall of black, and with a glance up she saw bare skin and the fluttering of a plaid, pleated skirt.  She had not been returned to her former glory: Akane had just shrank her, too.

“I think that’s gone far enough,” Akane declared, her rumbling voice shaking Shelby out of her confusion.  She turned around and saw an enormous toe, then looked up and gasped.  “I’m not going to let you torment Gina any more.  From now on you’ll have to be tiny like she is, and maybe you’ll learn to sympathize with all the horrible things you’ve done to her and the other people you’ve shrunk.”

Shelby looked aghast, but Gina was overjoyed.  She looked down at Shelby and saw that she did not even come up to her waist.  Her mouth spread into a broad grin while Shelby appeared even more horrified than before.  The redhead backed away and reached for her cell phone, but with a quick grab Gina snatched it out of her hand, easily overpowering the smaller woman.

“Calling for help?” she asked, holding the still-locked phone above her head.  “Sorry, can’t let you do that.  Tiny people aren’t allowed to have phones, anyway.”

“Hey, give that back!” Shelby protested, then jumped for it.  Her fingers fell well short of the phone, but Gina still covered her face with a hand, holding her down.

“You two play nice down there!” Akane said, and Shelby stopped struggling.  “Now, I’m going to go back to the little people, since unlike you I actually care for them.  Gina, you’re in charge, and don’t kill, her, okay?”

“Sure thing, Akane!” Gina shouted up in reply.  The floor shook from gigantic footsteps, and Akane returned to her spot in front of the terrarium.  Gina looked down at Shelby, her eyes wide as saucers, and grinned.

“Gina, there’s no need to be mean,” Shelby said, backing away.  “I just got a little carried away, you know?  It happens to everyone.  Let’s put it behind us, let it be water under the bridge, all right?  We’re friends!”

Gina clapped a large hand down on Shelby’s shoulder, making her wince. “Not a chance, ‘friend,’” she said, and glared down at her.  In an instant Shelby dwindled down to Gina’s knees, and continued shrinking until she was dwarfed by Gina’s ankles.  The reduction did not stop until Shelby was looking up at Gina’s toe, and she was struck speechless.

“There,” Gina declared, looking down at her tiny former tormenter.  “I think we can have some fun now.”

Instead of acquiring me a new, fancy suit to replace the old one that still smelled of Jackie’s feet, Fulda told me to wear whatever I wanted on this date.  “Helen’s a lot more casual than Jackie is,” Fulda explained, propping an enormous Converse on the ottoman to tie it.  “The whole time I’ve known her I don’t think she’s worn anything fancier than an off-the-rack skirt.  Sounds more like your type, doesn’t it?”

I shrugged and replied, “I guess.”  She was either hinting at something or giving me a back-handed compliment, but I was in no mood to read her mind.  “Honestly, I’m pretty nervous.  Jackie almost killed me without even knowing it, what’s to stop Helen from doing the same?”

“I’ve given her a few more details about you,” Fulda answered.  There was a loud thud and the table shook when Fulda set her shoe back on the ground.  “For one, I’ve made absolutely sure she knows about your predicament so that you don’t wind up underfoot.  I’ve also told her exactly where I’m going to set you down so she’ll know where to look.”

“And what if she came just so she can smash me?”

“Then I’ll smash her right after,” Fulda replied, matter-of-factly.  “Are you going to be scared the rest of your life because one date went poorly?  Come on, I know you’re braver than that.  Plus, it’s at a coffee shop, there couldn’t be a more public setting, and I’ll be at the same table looking out for you.  To everyone else it’ll just be two friends getting together for an evening.”  The floor thundered while she walked toward me, her long strides making the journey only take a few seconds.

“You’re sure you can keep me safe?”  I stared up at the titaness looking down at me, loose bangs falling into her eyes.  She blew them out of her view and continued gazing at me, like she was trying to emphasize just how visible I would be.  Fulda was wearing a tight, turquoise T-shirt with a pocket on the chest, and had eschewed her normal black shorts for white ones that somehow managed to cover even less.  For once she was wearing earrings, just a small pearl in each ear, and a plain silver necklace.

“I know I can,” Fulda answered with a smug grin.  “Tell you what, though: If I can’t, and she ends up smashing you, instead of getting her right back I’ll let her shrink me.  How’s that for confidence?”

“You’d let that happen for me?” I asked in disbelief. 

“Dude, if I let my friend kill you I’d feel that small anyway, might as well live it,” Fulda responded.  “Now, are you done stalling?  She may be casual, but people being late sets her off something fierce.”

“Yeah, sure,” I said.  The butterflies in my stomach still had not calmed down, but I no longer feared for my life.

“Perfect,” Fulda said, reaching down to grab me, “because ready or not, you’re coming.”  Her thumb and forefinger grabbed me by the chest and plucked me from the table like I was nothing.  She lifted me to her chest and held me in front of her breasts, letting them consume my vision while she worked a finger into the pocket.  Carefully she held me over the opening and opened her fingers, letting me drop into the soft, warm pocket beneath.  Before letting it snap shut Fulda winked down at me and added, “No matter what you’re getting to first base today.”

The gentle swaying of her body while she walked took over, and I snuggled up to her boob, just a few thin layers of fabric away.

Fulda’s ample, swinging bosom kept me relaxed while she walked, making it difficult to keep track of either time or distance.  I was about to doze off when the world around me shook, accompanied by the booming peals of a tinkling bell.  Casually, Fulda walked to the counter and ordered, and I did my best to stay still.  The last thing I wanted was to draw attention to the tiny outline in her shirt.

No sooner had Fulda picked up her plain black coffee than a voice rang out from behind her.  “Fulda!” shouted a booming voice, powerful enough to make my innards shake despite years of being acclimated to gigantic voices.  “I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever!”

“Helen, same!” Fulda replied, abruptly turning around.  Before I recovered from the vertigo she added, “I missed you, you giant bitch!”  I expected someone to tell them to tone it down, but apparently nobody wanted to get between the reunion of two giant women.

“Come here and give me a hug!” Helen said, and my blood ran cold.  I tried to scamper out of the pocket before I was smushed, but by the time I had grabbed onto the cloth a shock of blond hair had already come into view.  I gazed up helplessly as her blue eyes followed, focused on Fulda and looking down a little, along with a wall of flawless, sun-kissed skin.  The pair drew closer, and I braced for impact.

A massive object pressed against me from the other side, mashing me back into Fulda’s breast.  Just before all light was blocked from my once-safe haven I saw Helen’s chin glide over Fulda’s shoulder.  Fulda returned the embrace, pressing back harder, and I found myself stuck between two enormous breasts.  Their body heat made the temperature spike and sweat began to form on my brow, though I could not wipe it with my arms firmly held in place.  Severe vibrations filtered through to me while they clapped each other on the back, adding to the immense discomfort I already felt by being smushed between their racks.

After what seemed like an eternity they relented, and cold air filled the pocket again while I drew deep breaths.  “Helen, you’ve… grown,” Fulda said as though the words were foreign to her.

“I started wearing heels lately, do you like them?” the blond explained.  “I can’t believe I never realized before that if you wear six-inch heels, you look six inches taller!”

“Those.  Are.  Adorable,” Fulda replied, emphasizing every word.  “You have to tell me where you got them.  But… I thought you insisted we all come casually for this.”

“I am dressed casually!” Helen exclaimed.  “Can’t you feel nice and relaxed in a pair of big-ass heels?”  Her voice dripped with smugness.  “All right, you got me, I just wanted to be taller than you for once.  Being short’s a good look for you though, you should try it out more often.”

“Believe it or not, I’ve been hearing that a lot lately,” Fulda responded wryly, giving me a quick glance.  “I guess I just make some people insecure.”

Helen stepped forward, blocking my light with her chin while she leaned into Fulda’s ear.  “Okay, we’ve had the hug, now show me the bug,” she whispered.

“Don’t call him that, he’s already nervous enough about you smashing him,” Fulda whispered back, taking a step away.  “I’ve got some time, why don’t we sit down and get caught up?” she suggested, much louder.  The world above blurred together while she spun, and the gentle swaying of her chest returned.  A loud scrape came from the floor and my stomach jumped to my mouth, followed by intense jiggling when Fulda sat.

Two fingers pierced the turquoise cell around me, and the tip of Fulda’s index finger pinned me against the bottom of her pocket.  Her thumb came along soon after, scooping along the stitching, and pinched me between it and her forefinger.  Slowly she withdrew me, then the bulging turquoise wall gave way to the rest of the coffee shop while she moved me away from her.  She carefully set me down on the table and removed her hand, leaving me at the base of a paper cup the size of a grain silo.  “Ta-dah!” she exclaimed, as though she had pulled me from a top hat.

I felt Helen’s intense gaze on me, and I slowly turned to meet it.  She had her elbows propped on the table, with her chin resting on her interlaced fingers while she looked me over.  With the light at her back long shadows were cast over her face, giving her a more sinister appearance.  She did her best to dispel the illusion by smiling broadly, showing a row of straight white teeth behind her lips, but something about it seemed disingenuous to me.  Her eyes were locked on me, and we stared at each other in silence.

After studying me for a moment Helen began, “You must be Fulda’s little friend.”  I nodded at the self-evident statement.  “She’s told me a lot about you, but I’d like to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth.”  She leaned forward, making herself look even more colossal as she drew closer.  “So I’m going to ask you a series of questions, and I want you to answer them as fully and honestly as you can, okay?”  It seemed like she was trying to soften her voice, but that just made it more unsettling.

I gulped so that my voice would not shake when I answered and I could seem confident.  “Sure, go ahead,” I replied, as though getting interrogated by a giantess was a regular part of my day.

“Okay, let’s start easy.”  Helen set her palms flat on the table, pressing her fingers against the wood until the tips were white.  “Do you mind if I pick you up?”

“Not at all!” I replied enthusiastically, hoping to lighten the mood.  “Fulda picks me up all the time!”

“Uh…huh.”  She drew it out and cocked her head a little, chewing on my answer.  After some brief hesitation she reached for me anyway, placing a hand so that her fingers stretched over me.  While I studied the lines of Helen’s palm her fingers clamped down, delicately pinching the back of my shirt.  Slowly she picked me up off the table, letting me dangle between her fingers throughout the ascent.

When Helen’s hand stopped I was in front of her face, just far enough out that each of her eyes could focus on me.  Her nose sloped down below me like a sand dune, and at this distance I noticed the minute wobbles of her blue irises.  Helen rotated me in her grip, inspecting what she could of me, then moved her head around me as though I were a pivot.  The whole time I was dead center between her eyes, and her expression was calculating.

Finally, Helen sat upright again and chuckled quietly.  Her lips smacked when they parted, and she declared, “You’re smaller than Fulda let on.”  She let that hang in the air and followed it with another series of low chuckles.  “Just how small are you?”

“Um, how small did Fulda tell you I am?” I asked, not sure where she was going with this.

Helen’s free hand rose to join the one I dangled from, and she extended a finger until it totally blocked my view.  The finger surged forward and slapped me across my entire body, batting me like a toy.  She watched me swing back and forth, unable to stop my motion, and waited for me to come to a stop.  “That didn’t answer my question, little man,” she declared.  “Now tell me how small you are, and don’t make me ask a third time.”

“I’m, uh, a little under an inch,” I stammered.  “Not by much, though, maybe a millimeter or two, and you’d have to look real close to –“

“You can stop now,” Helen interrupted, her booming voice easily overwhelming mine.  “’Less than an inch’ was enough.”  Her pupils darted back and forth while she inspected me again.  “Do you have a job, tiny man?”

“No, I don’t,” I answered.  “I don’t think anyone would hire an inch-tall –“

“Less than an inch tall, keep your story straight.”

“- a man less than an inch tall to do much.  And since Fulda shrank me before graduating high school I never finished that, and I spent the past six years held prisoner by her sister, I haven’t really had –“

“Does Fulda really think a tiny, unemployed man is boyfriend material for me?”

“She must, or else –“

“That was a rhetorical question,” Helen interjected.  She let out a long, heavy sigh and rubbed her forehead with her free hand.  “I appreciate the enthusiasm, but I really need you to use your brain just a little here.”  Helen closed her eyes while she rubbed her temples, then when she was ready to continue they snapped back open, flashing me with brilliant blue.  “If you don’t work, you must have hobbies and other interests to keep you occupied, so why don’t you tell me about them?”

I waited a beat to make sure that was a real question before offering an answer.  “Not really.  I’m not big enough to –“

“You’re too small,” Helen corrected.  “Use the phrasing ‘I’m too small’ or you’re not really being honest.”

I took a moment to think it over.  Since I was dangling from her hand, I really did not have a leg to stand on to refuse any of her demands, no matter how demeaning.  “Okay then, I’m too small to do any of my old hobbies.  Mostly I just look around and explore Fulda’s condo, since I’m also not big-“  Helen’s eyes snapped toward me and I corrected myself.  “I’m too small to go outside, at least by myself.”

“Hmm.”  Her eyes narrowed while she looked at me, considering what I had said.  “Let me get this straight.  You’re a tiny, unemployed dweeb with no hobbies or interests, and you spend all day darting around your roommate’s feet when you’re not making her carry you somewhere.  That sound about right?”

“That seems a little unfair!” I shot back, but that was the wrong move.  Helen cocked her middle finger back with her thumb and held it there for a second to increase tension.  Suddenly it shot forward, striking me in the chest with a resonating crack.  I flew back but Helen’s grip on my collar remained tight, and I violently swung back and forth while spinning.  My collar constricted around my neck, and I clawed at it to keep my airway open.  Luckily I spun the other direction after a bit, loosening it again, and with my fingers in place I kept myself from gagging.

Helen patiently watched me rotate beneath her hand, taking an almost sadistic joy in watching me go.  “What the fuck, Helen?” Fulda broke in.  “You could’ve really hurt him!”

“No, he’s fine,” she replied, letting me spin beneath her gaze.  “I’ve flicked dozens of shrinks like that before, he’ll be bruised at worst.”  Amid the rapid spinning I saw Fulda roll her eyes, then sit back and cross one leg over the other.  Aside from grabbing me out of Helen’s hand, there was not much she could do.

Finally I stopped spinning and Helen fixed me with an acidic glare.  “Answer the question,” she demanded.  Whatever mirth she had was gone now.

My chest still stung from the blow, but at nothing felt broken for now.  “Hey, this is a date,” I said.  “When do I get to ask you questions?”

Helen chuckled, and it was one of the most unnerving sounds I had heard in a while.  “You’re too small to ask me questions” she answered plainly.  “But since you’re not going to be nice and answer mine, I have another one for you.”  She rocked her hand back and forth, shaking me along with it, and pulled me toward her eye until I was practically touching the cornea.  “Are you afraid of me?”  Her eyelashes tickled me when she blinked, but the situation was too grave for me to laugh.

“No,” I answered bravely.  “Fulda won’t let anything happen to me.”

“That’s a pathetic reason,” Helen retorted.  “What about when Fulda isn’t around, hm?  If we’re dating she’ll be far away, much too far to help you.”

“Helen, stop, you’re scaring him,” Fulda interjected again.

“But I thought he wasn’t scared of me, right, tiny man?” Helen asked.  I shook my head and she continued, “See?  He’s fine with it.  But we’ll see how long that lasts.”

Helen began lowering me away from her eye, running me along the smooth skin of her cheek and chin.  After a long open area she pushed me into her breast, dragging me against it during my descent until I was below them.  Her hand ran me along her body until I was against the freshly-shaven skin of her thighs, where she began swerving me along the path.  She moved me along the curve of her leg, making me slide down her calf and off her ankle, then down the length of her foot until she set me down at the toe of her high heeled shoe.

I looked at my reflection in the black surface, distorted by the curve of Helen’s foot, then back at Fulda’s Converse, one flat on the ground while the other idly made circles in the air with its toe, revealing the broad diamond patterns on the sole.  She seemed so far away while I stood at Helen’s toes she might as well have been on a different continent.  My eyes traced the great length of Helen’s calf, enhanced by the monolithic heels she was wearing, to her tremendous thighs far above where one knee was crossed over the other.  Beyond that, just visible over her bulging quads, Helen peered down at me, grinning.

“How about now, tiny man?” she asked, her tremendous voice almost purring.  “Scared of me yet?”

I balked.  It was one thing to put on a brave face, but Helen’s intimidation was working.  She was so huge and powerful that I would be helpless against her, and there was nothing Fulda would be able to do.  Fulda would have to spend the rest of her life at my size and neither of us could stop it.  “Yes,” I finally managed through a scratchy throat.  “You scare the shit out of me.”

“And that,” Helen began, swinging her dangling leg over her knee.  Her shoe raced down until it crashed against the floor with a thunderous impact, shaking the ground around it and making me stumble to remain standing.  It had landed mere inches from me, like she had carefully targeted it to be a near miss, “is why I can’t date you.”  She slapped her palms onto her thighs with a loud crack.  “I could look past everything else, even the weird attachment you have to Fulda, but I just can’t date someone who’s scared of me, I’m sorry.”

“Wait, what?” Fulda interjected.  She rapidly unhooked her legs, slamming a shoe into the ground to generate another wave of tremors, and shot to her feet.  The ground rumbled when she stepped forward, and Helen stood to meet her.  Fulda took another step until they were almost toe to toe and leaned in close.  “You spend the whole time making him terrified and then duck out because he’s scared?” she whispered.  “That’s some shit and you know it.”

I was trapped between the feet of two tremendous giantesses and could not keep myself from looking up.  While my eyes followed their impossibly long legs toward the sky I began to feel light-headed, and vertigo set in.  The farther up my eyes went the higher they seemed to be, always stretching just past the edge of my vision.  It felt like I was dwindling until I was just a speck to the pair of titanesses if I was lucky.  They appeared several miles tall to me, and I could not believe either of them had held me in their hands just a few seconds ago.

“Sorry, but I don’t make the rules,” Helen whispered back, yanking me out of my reverie.  I was still stuck between four colossal feet, but for now the giantesses seemed more focused on each other than me.  “Besides, I wouldn’t feel right taking him.”  While we puzzled over that Helen leaned forward and wrapped Fulda in another hug, making sure to brush her chin against Fulda’s earring.  “It was so nice seeing you again!” she said, much louder than a whisper.

“I know, you too!” Fulda responded, gripping Helen tightly.  “We should do it again soon!”  Then she whispered back, adding, “If you change your mind just let me know, I really would like for us to have more reasons to get together!”

Helen gave her one last squeeze, whispering, “I won’t, but me too!”  Helen pulled away first, breaking the embrace.  “Call me sometime so we can set something up!”  With that she left, carefully stepping so that I was completely under the outsole of her shoe.  The shock of her footfall stunned me, and before I could even marvel at the immense height of the shoe it was gone.

By the time I stumbled into the white rubber toe of Fulda’s shoe we were relatively alone.  While I gazed up at her gargantuan body she looked back at me, and seemed to almost be sad for the first time I could remember.  For some time we stood there looking at each other, having a conversation without saying anything.  She knew I wanted this to go better than it had, and I understood she regretted putting me in the situation in the first place.

Fulda squatted in front of me, nearly dropping her butt to the floor, and set a hand beside me while she peered between her knees.  Carefully she clamped two digits around my chest, making sure her hold was secure before slowly standing and picking me up off the floor.  I enjoyed the ride up her legs like it was a glass elevator and eagerly anticipated what was next.  Her tiny white shorts and turquoise shirt barely registered on my way to her face, where she held me about six inches away from the tip of her nose.  Wide, icy blue eyes fixated on me, and I gave her what little of a smile I could manage.

“Sorry, little guy,” she apologized.  “I didn’t expect her to be so weird about this.”

“Don’t sweat it,” I replied.  “She doesn’t know what she’s missing.  And for what it’s worth, I never stopped believing you’d help me.”

“Hey, thanks!  Nice to know I have the confidence of an inch-tall man behind me.”

“Almost an inch,” I corrected, “Helen was very clear about that.  Besides, I’m meeting with Li later this week, right?  Maybe that’ll go well.”

Fulda simply smiled in response.  “Let’s get you back home, okay?” she said, lowering me toward her chest.  “I’ll let you stand on my stomach and watch Netflix with me.”  Her fingers opened, dropping me into her breast pocket, and she gave me two light pats to make sure I was secure.  Then she started walking home, and the gentle swaying and jiggling of her chest calmed me down.

Gina looked down at her stocking-clad foot and felt the tiny limbs writhing beneath her sole.  Shelby had been miniscule for almost a day now, and the number of seconds she had not spent under Gina’s toes could be counted on her fingers.  She had even been forced to sleep in one of Gina’s shoes as it dangled off her foot throughout the night.  Every time Gina thought of relenting, she remembered the enormous, white-socked foot setting down on her, pinning her against the carpet for no reason aside from cruel fun.  If that had been enough reason for Shelby, why should she act any differently?

While the puny woman’s struggle weakened, however, Gina realized that she did not feel the amount of satisfaction she had expected.  Ordinarily, tormenting a shrunken person made her giddy: there was nothing quite like literally holding a life in her hands, knowing that they could die if the whim to clench her fist or step down a little harder struck her.  Every time she stepped down on Shelby, though, the rush went away long before the desperate thrashing did, and Gina left her foot atop her out of habit more than anything.

It dawned on Gina that she was simply going through the motions with Shelby, and with a deep sigh she moved her foot off the diminutive redhead.  Gina continued watching her numbly while she gasped for air, trying to process why she felt so little glee.  Her eyes glanced around, and she realized that, due to her overall puniness, Shelby was trapped on one carpet fiber and could not run away.  That must be it, she told herself.  There was no thrill of a hunt, no feeling of triumph over a pest struggling to escape.

Gina continued glaring down at Shelby, resting her hands on her hips to look more imposing to the twice-shrunken woman.  She looked pleadingly back at her, expecting to be covered by a foot again at any moment, but Gina no longer had it in her.  Idly she dug her big toe into the carpet, sliding it through the fiber to prod Shelby, but even the pathetic whimper in response failed to make her grin.  Without the challenge of chasing down a tiny person or shrinking them to exert her will – Shelby had not even tried to resist, despite the futility – Gina did not find her brand of bullying fun.

While she considered how to get out of her rut, the floor shook and a great crash filled the air.  In a panic Gina looked around.  The ground quaked again, stronger this time, and Gina spotted a pair of black-clad feet hanging off the foot of her old bed.  Akane was being useless as usual, spending her time reading a book instead of tormenting the dozens of tiny people she had inherited by dethroning Gina.  Again the ground rocked, accompanied by a terrific thud, and Gina looked to the door.  With legs longer than most people her old friends could take stairs four or five at a time, and her visitor for today was probably standing there thinking about how to best make an entrance.

The door swung inward hard enough to bang against the wall, then Julie’s pale face poked through the frame, her massive form almost doubled over so she could fit through.  Julie straightened to her behemoth 10’3” height, almost half of which had been given to her by Gina, and scanned the floor.  She held strands of black hair out of her wide brown eyes with long, slender fingers, and idly toed at the carpet.  With her free hand she pulled the hem of her brown corduroy skirt almost to her knees, concealing most of her skinny thighs covered in tight black stockings.  Gina stood perfectly still while her enormous former friend looked around, hoping she could avoid whatever she had in store.

Julie’s gaze was unavoidable when it passed over Gina, and her eyes lit up when they stopped on the puny blond.  “Why hello there, my pint-sized princess!” Julie bellowed, smiling from ear to ear.  She took a step forward, sending a seismic shock through the floor when her heel set down.  Gina watched powerlessly while she drew closer, practically gliding over the carpet with a surprising amount of grace.  No matter how much she wanted to bolt away, Gina was almost entranced by the giantess’s approach.

Before she realized it Julie was only one stride away, with one long, elegant foot already in the air.  Gina followed its arc through the air and grimaced when the heel set down with enough force to make her teeth chatter in their sockets.  Julie exaggerated brining her foot down, making the movement agonizingly slow while her sole swung toward the floor.  The nylon was pulled tight, pressing the tips of her toes inside flat.  As it drew closer, Gina realized that it would fall just short of stepping on her, Julie’s gait precisely calculated to be menacing without being dangerous.

A shrill, tinny shriek rose from the floor, and Gina tore her eyes away from the gargantuan foot to see Shelby’s puny body trapped in Julie’s shadow.  The scream was abruptly cut short when Julie set her foot down, a single toe overwhelming the former giantess.  There was no crunch of series of cracks from beneath the toe, meaning Shelby had not been smashed to an unnoticeable red dot on the bottom of Julie’s stocking, but she was definitely being smushed by an oblivious titaness.

A deep, rumbling giggle came from high above, and Julie’s stockings writhed while she giddily wiggled her toes.  The mammoth digits churned up and down, rubbing against each other inside their nylon casing while the giantess teasingly laughed at the bug-sized woman in front of her.  It did not take long for Gina to crack and yell up, “What the fuck’s so funny?”

Julie did not immediately heed the furious squeaks coming from her feet and continued to laugh.  “You are, Gina!” she replied with a bubbly voice.  “You act so angry, but I know you just love being tiny!  You always talked about wanting your friends to be gigantic, right?”

Gina gritted her teeth and growled.  “That’s not what I meant and you –“

“And look!” Julie exclaimed, unaware that she had just cut off Gina’s protests.  “You’re even standing flat on the ground for once!  It’s like you’re aching to see who’s taller like we used to do during growth spurts at school.”  Gina huffed, but did not disagree.  Anything she said would only throw more fuel on the fire.

Julie’s foot lifted minutely off the ground and rotated sideways before setting back down perpendicular with Gina.  Each small step made the floor rumble, making Gina’s knees weak, and a tiny yelp erupted each time she lifted her right foot before being immediately squelched.  When she was facing away she looked back over her shoulder and down, spying Gina a few inches from her heel.  “C’mon, you know how to do this!” she implored.  “Put your back to mine and stand up as straight as you can.”

Gina grumbled, but there was not much she could do about it.  At least Julie seemed to be in a playful mood.  She took several steps toward the towering black obelisk, stepping high over carpet fibers until she was at the base of Julie’s heel.  With a sigh she turned around, leaning against the tremendous foot like a wall.  Although the dark nylon was rough on her back she pressed herself into it, trying to stand as tall as she could.

Julie made a show of placing a hand flat on her head then moving it back into the empty air.  When it ran into nothing she began moving it down her back, trying to keep it level for the act.  Once her arm was fully extended, she brought it back to her side.  “Wow, I’ve really outgrown you!” she exclaimed with a giggle.  “It seems like not too long ago you were so much taller than me, but now… well, things are different, aren’t they?  I’m surprised you wanted to go back-to-back, really, there’s no question which of us is taller.”  Gina only glowered up at her, trying to bore tiny holes in Julie’s buttocks with her eyes.

“It must be a shock that I’m so tall now, huh,” Julie continued, and Gina crossed her arms in response.  “I mean, yeah, you dreamed about it all the time, but this must be more like a nightmare.  And, like, everyone grew around the same time, not just me.  Guess your growth spurts were all used up early.”

Gina continued to glare at her ankle, rapidly becoming impatient.  “Are you going somewhere with this?” she asked, though she knew that even if Julie could hear her, she would be ignored.  “I know that I’ve been shrunk, that’s why I’ve been telling you to help every time you come over here to fuck with me!”

“Look, Gina,” Julie began, as if the tiny woman had not said a thing, “even though I’m taller now, things don’t have to be different between us.  You were my friend when I was short, and I hope you can find it in yourself to look up to me now.”  Her heel raised off the ground, revealing tiny bits of white lint and carpet threads that had gotten stuck to her sole.  “Seriously though, I’m tall enough to step on you, so I hope you’re looking up!”

Tremendous scratching assaulted Gina’s ears while Julie dragged her toes back, loose carpet fibers catching and breaking on her stockings.  The titanic foot was nearly horizontal while it slid, and Gina stood paralyzed while it crawled toward her.  She was so intently focused on the bulbous heel bulging from the top that by the time she looked straight up at it, it was too late.  Julie slammed her heel down, easily overwhelming Gina and pinning her against the carpet.

Violent shockwaves ripped through the floor from the impact, but Julie’s gigantic foot absorbed most of the vibrations before they could shake Gina apart.  However, the vibrations running down Julie’s colossal body from her laughter were all too apparent to the woman trapped beneath her.  “Would you look at that!” she proclaimed, giving Gina a brief reprieve from her laugh.  “Little Gina slipped under my foot!  Guess you should’ve been looking up, huh?”

Gina merely endured her time beneath Julie’s foot.  Struggling would not only be pointless, it would also encourage her.  She took short, shallow breaths to keep the foot smell from infesting her nostrils and thanked her lucky stars that she was beneath a soft part of Julie’s arch.  Such an impact from her heel would have instantly pulverized her, an unacceptable end to a temporarily embarrassed goddess.

Julie relented before too long, dragging her toes over Gina’s prone body as she stepped backward.  She set her foot down, close enough for her big toe to loom over Gina, and peered down at her with a grin.  “Hey, I know it’s rough being the short girl,” she said, twitching her toe back and forth over Gina.  “You certainly never let me forget it, after all.  All those jokes about stepping on me, putting me in your shoe or eating me for a snack…  you were just jealous!”  Her far foot shot forward, dragging against the soft carpet.  “Turns out you wanted me to do all those things for you, and I,” Julie emphasized her sentence by slapping the ground with her foot, blowing a gust of air over Gina with a pop, “am more than happy to oblige.”

Julie’s foot slid forward, easily overtaking Gina’s minute form on the carpet.  She rotated her foot slightly and set it down, laying her big toe beside Gina’s body.  With a smug grin she jerked her toes inward, batting Gina to the side.  The tiny blond rolled over the carpet, breaking through loose strands from the fibers, until she bumped into the instep of Julie’s other foot.  With a chuckle the giantess moved her foot along the floor, making a tremendous tearing sound while she brought her feet together.

Gina helplessly looked up at the enormous toe looming over her while it dug into the carpet at her feet.  It drove forward, embedded in the soft, thick fibers until the edge of her toenail touched the back of Gina’s knees.  Julie flicked it upward, erupting from beneath her victim with enough force to send her flying.  Startled, Gina let out a small yelp as she flipped feet over head away from her former friend.

After a hard landing Gina skidded over the carpet, rubbing the skin off her wrists and palms as she tried vainly to stop herself.  Friction finally halted her just past Julie’s other big toe, but before she could do anything more than moan it struck.  Fast as a blink Julie’s foot raced forward, blocking Gina’s view with her dark, nylon-clad sole.  It landed with a loud pop, and Gina felt as though she had been slapped across her entire body.

Julie let her foot linger on Gina for a moment, basking in the triumph.  While pinned down, Gina felt something tickling her tummy, like a small creature squirming against her.  Curious, Gina fought against the immense force holding her down, forming her fingers into a wedge and shoving her arm along her body to slide between herself and the gigantic nylon netting.  A couple inches at a time her arm jolted forward until her finger tips brushed against the irritation.  With one more surge she reached for it and, once it was secured in her palm, wrapped her fingers around it.

Finally Julie moved her foot from atop Gina so she could leer down at her smugly, but the blond was much more interested in whatever had been irritating her.  One by one she pulled her fingers back, revealing Shelby’s miniscule body in her hand.  Her voluminous hair was mussed and her clothing was torn, but did not look worse for the wear otherwise.  She looked at Gina with wild green eyes and opened her mouth, trying to scream to no avail.

“Gina, please!” Shelby shouted once she found her voice.  “Save me!”  Tiny tears streamed down her cheeks while she continued in her high-pitched squeak.  “I’m so sorry, I was horrible to you, I know, but please don’t let her smash me!  I’ll do anything!”  Hearing Shelby beg for her life should have been music to Gina’s ears, but she could not enjoy it.  If anything, she was in more danger of getting crushed right now than the woman she held in her palm.

A gigantic toe struck Gina in the side, making her suddenly jerk to the left and throw her hand open.  Shelby sailed through the air, landing some distance away among the carpet.  “I guess the old saying’s true,” Julie boomed with a tremendous grin.  “Be careful what you wish for.”  She laughed at her own remark before raising her foot off the ground, holding it so her sole eclipsed Gina’s view of everything else.

She held it teasingly over Gina’s prone body as though she had been frozen mid-stomp.  The foot wobbled minutely, drawing her attention to the tiny white imperfections made obvious against the immense black background.  Julie flexed her toes, crumpling their nylon sheath and making her smooth sole a mass of wrinkles.  After a second she straightened them again, forcing Gina to look at the staggering length of her foot.

“You won’t be able to thank me for this,” Julie purred, “but I know you would.  Better one of your friends does it than someone who doesn’t even know you’re there, right?”  Gina’s mouth went dry.  Was she really about to get crushed by some jumped-up short girl?

Julie raised her foot high, preparing to bring it down on Gina with earth-shattering force.  While it was still poised high, however, two loud thuds rumbled through the floor, rattling Gina’s bones and joints.  Instead of slamming her foot down Julie balked, hesitating.  Almost gently she set her foot back on the ground beside Gina, toes first, and drew her other one back.  “What are you doing, weird girl?” she asked.  “Lay back down, I’m trying to be merciful to my friend.”

“Is that what you call torturing and killing her?” Akane asked glibly.  The ground quaked when she took a step forward, and the fluttering plaid of her skirt came into Gina’s view.  “She’s hardly undeserving, but after watching you for months I don’t think you’re any less of a monster.”

Gina looked to the side where Julie’s foot dominated her vision.  Somewhere under that broad sole was Shelby.  “Akane, wait!” she shouted.  “Don’t do it yet, she’s not clear, Shelby’s –“

It was too late.  The ridge-sized foot rapidly diminished in size until it was no longer than the rest of Gina’s body.  She looked up and watched a very confused Julie dwindle, frozen in indecision and fear.  When she finally stopped shrinking she was still standing astride Gina, but at a much more manageable size.

Julie moved to strike first, knowing that Gina would not forgive her.  She raised her foot high and brought it down, aimed for Gina’s stomach, but the blond caught her ankle in mid-air.  While Julie hobbled for balance Gina inspected the sole of her foot for anything other than nylon and lint.  A tiny bit of movement on the ball of her foot drew Gina’s attention and she pulled the foot closer so she could see.  Sure enough, there was a pair of tiny legs kicking, trying to get free from among the nylon.

Gina reached up with her free hand and prodded the legs with her finger, drawing them onto her fingertip with the oils of her skin.  She looked closely at her finger and saw a small, almost unnoticeable discoloration.  Satisfied that Shelby was safe for the moment, Gina guided Julie’s leg to the ground beside her and stood up.

From her full height Gina peered down at Julie, who looked like she was about to break into tears.  Much like Shelby, Julie had been reduced to the size she was compared to Gina before her sudden and unnatural growth spurts.  The top of her dark hair did not reach the bottom of Gina’s tattered shorts, and she was fully within the larger shrunken woman’s shadow.

“Oh, Gina, you know I was just joking, right?” Julie rambled.  “I would never kill you, you’re my best friend!  It was all just a fun game, I thought you were having fun, I was having fun, weren’t we all having fun?”  The longer she spoke the less coherent she became until all she could do was babble.

Gina reached down and seized her by the shoulder, silencing her with a final yelp.  “You’re pretty small,” she declared, tightening her grip.  “You could stand to be smaller though.”  Julie’s cries did not stop as she quickly reduced in size until she disappeared inside Gina’s fist.

A gust of wind came from the sky when Akane let out a deep sigh.  Short of smashing her there was nothing she could do to stop Gina, and she was not ready to give up hope yet.  She seemed to be making progress; Shelby had survived a full day, and she had restrained from outright crunching Julie in her fist.

A cacophony of springs compressing came from the humongous bed above, and the titanic black pillars of Akane’s socked legs swung up onto the mattress.  Gina looked at Julie between her fingers, still babbling uncontrollably while she tried to process what had just happened.  Somewhere in the whorls of the fingerprints holding her was Shelby, no doubt just as confused.  With a grin Gina walked toward her old bed, eager to play with her would-be killer.

I tugged my collar, still not accustomed to wearing anything besides thread-worn T-shirts that were verging on rags.  Fulda insisted on putting my best foot forward, she said, and chosen the same restaurant for me to meet Li as my first near-disaster with Jackie.  Fortunately, by now the smell of perfumed feet had left the clothes, so I could wear them without having flashbacks.

While Fulda walked back and forth making last minute preparations, I watched her from the granite countertop in her kitchen.  Her heels steadily clicked on the hard wood floor, and the cabinet doors rattled each time her toes slammed down.  She was putting in more work than I was, and dressed more elegantly to boot, with a form-fitting, backless black dress that was cut above her knees in front and came to a point behind her ankles and wearing what seemed to be her favorite pair of suede heels.

The cabinets’ rattling grew stronger, and I looked to see Fulda approaching, her fingers still working a white pearl earring into her earlobe.  Her monolithic form stopped in front of me, blocking the room’s overhead light.  I looked up from her waist, and despite the shadows I easily spotted her blue eyes peering back down at me.  “You ready yet?” she asked, as though I had been the one holding us up.

“Yeah, I’ve only got the one outfit,” I replied, pulling at my lapels.  “It’s not like I have a whole lot to get together.”

Fulda chuckled.  “I know that, little guy, I meant if you think you’re ready to meet Li.”

“Honestly, I’m not sure,” I said.  “The last two haven’t exactly gone well.”

“Oh no!” Fulda exclaimed, clapping her hands to her cheeks in mock surprise.  “A man in his twenties had a couple bad dates, call the police!”  She lowered her hands and a smile spread across her face.  “You’ll be fine, dude.  You have so much in common with her, I just know you’ll hit it off.”

“And she knows about my… size?”  There was no need to find a delicate way to phrase it.

“I don’t think she’d be coming out tonight if she didn’t,” Fulda responded.  “She was reluctant at first and asked if I was setting her up with some meathead from the gym.  When I told her that you’re an inch tall she was a lot more eager, almost excited.”

“Almost an inch,” I clarified.  “Helen was very insistent I remember that.”

“Ah yes, those very important fractions of an inch,” Fulda said mockingly.  “I’m sure Li will be devastated to see the difference.”  One of her hands swooped down, and in a flash she plucked me up between her thumb and forefinger, holding me immobile.  “C’mon, let’s go.  I’m eager to watch her swat you over a fifth of an inch.”  I did not resist while she lowered me into her clutch, and with a loud snap I was back in utter darkness.

With a soft click the handbag opened again, and I was treated to Fulda’s eyes eclipsing everything else I could have seen.  Her long, tanned fingers slid into the black bag and began probing around for me amid her personal items.  I lunged for a finger tip and wrapped myself partially around it like a tree trunk, giving it a tight squeeze.  Fulda slowly withdrew her hand, bringing me out along with it, and moved me over the table.

Vibrations ran up the spire I clung to when it touched down, and I released my grip on the digit.  After a short drop I landed on the broad white table cloth, just a few inches short of the maroon napkin for the table setting.  Fulda pulled her hand back and surreptitiously brushed it on the front of her dress before winking at me.  “Looks like we’re a little early,” she declared.  “You’ve got some time to nail down your set, then.”  She winked and turned around, walking to the table beside mine.  Until she sat down my eyes were glued onto her shaking butt, emphasized by the dress.  At the very least I was in the mood for a date now.

I did not have to wait long.  After only a few minutes I spotted a hostess heading for my table, though my attention was drawn to the Asian woman dwarfing her from behind.  She had straight, silky black hair that ran past her shoulders, and slim-framed glasses made her velvety brown eyes appear even larger.  A narrow choker was pulled tight around her slender neck, making it look longer, and an elegant, simple black dress ran down to the middle of her thighs, where a pair of dark stockings took over.  Her skin was pale but not unhealthily so, creating a strong contrast with her hair and clothes.

Li had me so entranced that I did not realize the short hostess had reached the table ahead of her.  An enormous slab of leather descended toward me, guided by the hostess’s hand, and I scrambled to get out from under it.  Unfortunately, I was too slow, and the menu set down atop me, knocking me over.  In a stroke of luck she had set it down gently, and I was merely pinned beneath it instead of being smashed instantly.

Fingers curled over the top of the menu’s cover and in a rush it was lifted off me, tossing me into the air with enough force to flip me halfway around.  When I recovered I got back to my feet, no worse for the wear, and brushed myself off.  In front of me was a tremendous black wall with some golden graffiti on the right, a set of finger tips on either side holding it up.  Great, she had not seen me either.

“Hey, Li!” I shouted, hoping to change that.  Her fingers subtly tensed, and I knew she heard me.  “Down here, on the table!  Other side of the menu!”  Cautiously, as though expecting a trick, Li closed the menu enough so she could peer around it.  When one of her enormous eyes was visible she quickly slammed it shut and dropped it onto the table with a thud, making the ground around me vibrate.

“Hello down there!” Li exclaimed.  She was trying not to draw attention to herself, but I could tell she was excited.  Her thin red lips pulled back in a smile and she continued, “You must be Fulda’s little friend.  It’s so good to see you!”

“I’m just glad you can see me,” I replied.

Li laughed and said, “Good, you’re funny.”  She shoved the menu away with a finger, apparently more interested in me than eating, and flicked her head so that her hair fell behind her ears.  “Short guys tend to be, so you must be hilarious.”

“That’s probably why Fulda keeps me around,” I joked.  Before she could say anything else I moved forward, trying to avoid another interrogation.  “So, what is it that you do?”

“I’m a medical student,” Li answered.  She set her elbows on the table and made a bridge with her fingers, then leaned forward and placed her chin on it.  Briefly she grinned down at me while I looked back up, in awe at how easily she had transitioned to looming over me.  “In another year I’ll start my residency, so I’m trying to get my life settled before then.  So how’d you get so small?  Were you born like this, did you get some disease…?”

Well, that lasted all of one question.  “Actually, Fulda shrank me,” I replied.  “We were dating back then, and she thought it would be a fun surprise to make me tiny.”  I figured it was prudent to leave out that I tried to break up with her, since she was going to do it anyway.

“Wait, you knew Fulda in high school?” she asked.  “How come I never saw you at any of our parties?”

“That’s not such a funny story,” I began.  “After she graduated Fulda decided she was bored of me and gave me to her kid sister.  She turned out to be a lunatic, and I was stuck with her for six years before I could escape with Fulda’s help.”

Li let out a little gasp.  “You mean she kept you prisoner?”  I nodded, and she continued, “That’s terrible!  How did you make it so long?  In my experience tiny people are lucky to live six hours, let alone six years.”

“Weirdly enough, she liked me.  She always called me her ‘boy toy’ and imagined a whole relationship in her head.  What do you mean about your experience with tiny people?”

Li paused for a moment before answering.  “Oh, don’t worry about it, you can ask Fulda next time you see her.”  She inclined her head and said, “You know, we’re talking about Fulda a lot and I want to talk about us.  What sort of stuff did you do before you were tiny?”

“Normal teenager stuff, I guess,” I replied.  “Reading, studying, playing video games, hanging out with people.  Though these days the only way I hang is off people’s clothes, and I never imagined I’d be living Shadow of the Colossus.”

She giggled briefly, then leaned in a little closer.  “That’s funny, you don’t look like much of a gamer.  Then again, I probably don’t either.  You’re probably in better shape than me if it weren’t for the whole ‘being able to fit in my palm’ thing.  What’s your secret?”

“Necessity,” I answered simply.  “I do a lot of climbing up legs, running between people’s feet, stuff like that.  You would not believe how good a workout I get trying to push someone’s finger off me.”

Li smirked.  “Mind if I try?”

“Go right ahead,” I agreed.  “See if you can knock me down.”  One of her hands swung down from beneath her chin with incredibly speed, and before I could even jump out of the way the heel of her palm struck the table with a crash.  An instant later her fingers hit, with one laid right across me.  I toppled backwards beneath it, and Li’s index finger rested on my chest.  She adjusted it slightly so that I could see past the tip of her finger, and she was practically beaming down at me as though she had accomplished some great feat.

She chuckled and leaned in until her face eclipsed my view.  I struggled to push her finger off, but it was futile; any time I made progress she simply pressed a little harder to keep me pinned.  “Looks like I’ve caught me a tiny man,” she whispered huskily.  “I guess I never thought about it, but my finger’s like a thousand pounds to you, isn’t it?”  I nodded, and she grinned wider.  “That means you’re trapped.  What do you think I should do with a tiny little man like you, completely under my power?”

I gulped.  Not again.  “Whatever you want,” I said.  By now I had been through this enough that I could feel where it was going.

“Anything?” Li asked, drawing out the last syllable, and I nodded fervently.  “Good.  You might think this is weird, but I think I should take you back to my place.”

“But Fulda said –“

“I thought we weren’t talking about Fulda anymore,” Li interrupted.  “Let me worry about her, and before you know it we’ll be back in my apartment playing Shadow of the Colossus.”  The smirk remained on her face while she sat back up, leaving her finger on me so I would remain immobile.  As she did so I saw a tall, well-dressed woman standing behind her, looking down at Li impatiently.  After a few seconds the waitress cleared her throat, grabbing her attention.

Li jumped slightly in her chair and turned to look at the waitress.  “Oh, sorry!” she apologized.  “There was an odd stain on the cloth I was checking out.”

Unfazed, the waitress got on with her job.  “Can I start you out with a drink while you wait, or maybe an appetizer?”

“This might be a little weird,” Li said, shifting uncomfortably.  While she moved her hand jostled me, making me wiggle back and forth beneath it, “but I’m just here to surprise my friend.  See that redhead at the other table?”  With her free hand she pointed at Fulda, who was acting way too engrossed with the menu.  “It’s her birthday, but she didn’t want to celebrate.  If you could do something small for her, I know she’d really appreciate it.”

The waitress clapped her booklet shut and tucked it into her apron.  “I’ll see what we can do,” she said, then walked away into the distance.

When she was gone Li turned back to me, still pinned beneath her finger.  “Now we just need to wait for them to swarm her and I’ll get you out of here.”  She looked at me helpless in her grasp, practically devouring me with her eyes, with a small, satisfied grin.  I stayed silent, gazing up at her nearly in disbelief at what was happening.  Li was really taking me back to her place, and for once I was excited for a date to end.  Apparently, the third time really is the charm.

After a few minutes a dozen or so staff swarmed Fulda, and I was just able to see the look of surprise on her face before they formed a solid wall of white linen between us.  When we were fully blocked, Li slid her thumb around to my back and lightly pinched me, picking me up from the table.  Carefully she lifted me away from the cloth and toward her, then stopped me beneath her chin.  Below I saw the crack of her cleavage, her modest breasts enhanced by her dress enough to make a perfect landing for me. 

While the opening bars of “Happy Birthday” filled the room she opened her fingers, dropping me head-first into her cleavage.  I dropped rapidly, plunging deeply into the darkness until only my feet were sticking out.  Li gave her chest a couple of light pats, helping me settle between them, then my stomach slid to my mouth while she stood.  The world gently swayed while she walked, bouncing with her gait, and I did my best to get comfortable between the sizable fleshy mounds on either side despite the heat.

The journey was surprisingly short, around fifteen minutes, and before I could even doze off the powerful shocks of Li ascending a flight of stairs jolted me.  The powerful slams of her shoes striking each step echoed through the cavernous stairwell, becoming a distorted roar as it was funneled into her cleavage.  It was a tremendous shock after the soothing walk she had just taken with me, and it made me realize just how insulated I had been during the trip.

Li came to a sudden stop and I lurched forward, getting wedged further between her breasts.  After a loud beep the door swung inward with a bang, and I felt myself spinning while Li turned to and fro in her apartment.  A loud series of clatters came from the floor and my stomach fell out, a sudden drop of several inches jolting my body.  Her feet’s soft soles padded over the floor, and with a loud click light began pouring into my crevice.

Fingers dug into the skin around me, and after a second of groping one overtook me.  Li curled it around my body and dug me out, pressing me against her sternum for support.  Her thumb swung in to join it, holding me securely against her finger, and she carefully lifted me out of her dress.  Keeping me pinched in her grip, she held me in front of her face and grinned while she adjusted her glasses with her free hand.

“Glad to see you made it in one piece,” she said, her voice rolling over me like thunder.  “For someone already bite-sized I hate to think how small those would be.”  Her apartment had much better lighting than the restaurant, and now I could see that she was strikingly beautiful.  Li’s eyes were darker than I had originally thought, almost black, and she had long, slender eyelashes around them, all popping magnificently against her pale skin.  There was a slight bulge at the base of her nose, drawing attention to her delicate pink lips which, for the whole time I had known her, had been pulled into an enticing smile.

“So, what do you want to do?” I asked, trying to play it cool.  It was ridiculous that I should be calling the shots from inside her hand, but my whole life for over half a decade had been no less ridiculous.

“We’ll get to the main course soon enough,” Li replied.  She took a step forward and the world seemed to shift around her.  “I really am hungry though, and since I skipped dinner I’d like to get a few bites to eat if you don’t mind.”

“No, not at all,” I responded, though I knew my approval held no power.  Behind her the wide, open airspace of her living room was replaced by a stark white wall with a simple analog clock hanging from it.  A large, white box with a window came into one edge of my vision, with a green digital display, and a great steel monolith on the other.  Predictably, she was taking me into the kitchen, wanting to keep me close while she ate.

Rapidly her hand dropped, and before the vertigo could clear I found myself standing on a white countertop.  I looked up Li’s monumental torso and watched her easily open a cabinet, then reach in to withdraw a red box and brown cylinder.  She set them both down on the counter beside me with a loud crash, buffeting me with wind as it rushed from beneath the gargantuan containers, then opened a drawer beneath me with a clatter of metal.  Her fingers slid in and grabbed a single butter knife, then with a gentle thrust of her hips she closed it with another rattle and boom.

“So, little guy,” Li began, popping the tabs on the box, “want to know about my history with people like you?”  A terrific rustling assaulted my ears as she pulled out a sleeve of crackers, taking one off the top before putting it back in the box.

“If by that you mean tiny people, yeah,” I answered, gazing up at her in awe.  “Fulda mentioned that all of you would know how to handle me.”

“Is that how she phrased it?” Li asked, setting the cracker down beside me.  Laid flat it came up to my knees, and it could fit several of me laying side by side.  “That’s funny.”  Her hands gripped the cylinder, and with a firm twist with her mighty hands she screwed the lid off.  “I mean it’s true, but it’s also funny.”  She set the yellow lid in front of her, and I estimated it came up to my shoulders at least.

“Every few months our sorority threw a party,” Li elaborated, plunging the knife into the open brown container.  “We were all tall and wanted to feel taller, so we specifically invited the shortest men we could find.  The whole thing was very hush-hush to maintain a certain air of mystery about it.”  She pulled the knife back out, bearing a large glob of peanut butter on the edge.  “They call came, eager to party with some of the hottest girls on campus, thinking we were interested in them.”

Li picked the cracker off the counter and gingerly spread the peanut butter over it, absent-mindedly adjusting it so it would be even.  “Then we shrank them.  Sometimes it was a little at a time throughout the night, sometimes all at once, but they all ended up about your size by the time we were done.”  She set the disc back on the counter, with the peanut butter so smooth it looked like a mattress atop it.  “That was when the fun began.”

Fingers seized me around the waist, much harder than before, and snatched me off the counter.  “We all had our own ways to dispose of shrinks like you.”  Shrinks.  Jackie had used that word, too.  “Jackie liked to play games, make them think it was their fault for displeasing her.  Helen kept them in cages and used them as little stress balls.  Fulda just loved crushing them with her shoes, under her butt, between her thighs, she was really creative.”  Li began dropping me back down to the counter, carefully positioning my descent, and continued, “Before the night was done we’d go on a shrink hunt, and either exterminate them or keep them for later.”

Cold goop gripped me by the back, and Li’s finger gently patted me down into it.  “Oh, I didn’t tell you how I did it, did I?” she asked with a giggle.  “My mistake.”  When she pulled her finger away I was firmly stuck in the peanut better, barely able to even wiggle my digits.  She gripped the cracker between her thumb and forefinger, and blood rushed from my head while she lifted me to her face in an instant.  Her eyes locked onto the little parts I had poking out from the peanut butter, looking me over hungrily.  “I ate them.”

For emphasis she licked her lips, leaving a thin layer of saliva on them.  “There’s really nothing like swallowing another person alive.  First, they scream for mercy, begging me not to eat them.  Then they thrash around in my mouth, trying to fight their way out with their pathetic little arms.  Finally, they slide down my throat, struggling the whole way, and it feels amazing to have someone thrashing around in there.  Sometimes they would fight in my stomach, but that never lasted too long.”

Li’s lips parted, and she began drawing the cracker I was stuck on toward her maw.  “Li, no, wait!” I shouted.  “Please, no!  If you don’t eat me I’ll do anything you want, anything!  You can keep me as your pet, your slave, you can even give me back to Fulda and I won’t say anything!”  Through it all, my inexorable approach toward Li’s mouth continued.

“See?” she asked when the edge was at her lips.  “They always beg.  It’s such a rush of power.”  Li pushed the cracker until it was halfway into her mouth, and I squeezed my eyes shut.  A deafening crunch assaulted my ears and the wheat disc shook violently as her teeth tore through it, but no part of me was sheared off with it.  I forced my eyes open, and saw gleaming white incisors pushed together a millimeter from my feet.  Her lips curled inward, drenching me in saliva when one engulfed me, then she pulled the remainder away from her cavernous maw.  She worked her jaw purposefully, breaking the bite down with her saliva, before theatrically swallowing it in a large gulp visible from outside her throat.

“I almost don’t want to eat you,” Li declared, her voice booming like timpani from only a few inches away.  “You really are cute and funny, and I think I’d have a lot of fun playing with you.”

“You don’t have to, you could –“

“But I’m going to, because you’re a puny shrink and I’m a giantess.”

A loud crash came from the other side of the door and it bowed inward.  “Li!  Open this fucking door!” someone shouted from the other side.  It was Fulda!  She had come to save me!  “You knew the deal, so let me in before I break the door down!”

“Well, that’s that,” Li said, smacking her lips deliberately.  “I hoped we had a few more minutes together, but hey, she’s huge and runs fast.”  Another loud crash rocked the door.  “Try to fight on your way down, okay?”  She opened her jaw wide and extended her tongue, working it beneath my feat.  Slowly she slid the slimy appendage beneath me, bucking it every few millimeters to loosen me from the peanut butter.  Little by little she drew me into her mouth, and I looked at her uvula hanging over her gullet in abject terror.

Li’s tongue finally pried my loose and retracted, sliding me into the tremendous tooth-lined cavern.  At the same time the door exploded inward with a thundering crash, making the whole room shake.  Li spun around, and between her parted lips I saw Fulda gripping the doorframe, heaving.  The redhaired titaness had a mask of fury on her face and strode toward Li with determination.  When she was close Li sealed her lips and flicked her tongue back, tossing me onto the soft tissue of her gullet.

With a sickening squelch Li’s gullet opened, and I fell into the chute of her esophagus.  Her throat muscles clamped around me, holding me tight as they compelled me down toward her stomach.  I resigned myself to my fate, knowing that the last thing I would ever see was the woman who put me in this situation.

Gina had been relocated to the glass surface of her old nightstand along with her growing crew of drastically smaller women.  Even though it limited her movement, she understood why it had to be done: Shelby was small enough that anyone normal sized would need a microscope to see her, and Julie was not much better off.  Prior to their ascent, the three tiny women had to form a chain, picking up the next smallest one like a nesting doll, to ensure none of them were left on the floor.

With a sense of satisfaction, Gina looked at the speck on the tip of her finger.  Just two days ago Shelby was threatening to eat her, and now she was little more than a mote of dust to an inch-tall woman.  Snuffing her out would be a matter of nothing more than rubbing two fingers together, pulverizing the vaguely humanoid dot between relatively massive digits.  It would be a fitting end, Gina thought, but better than she deserved.  After the unrelenting torment she had inflicted upon her, the ungrateful bitch should suffer the indignity of being puny.

From Shelby’s perspective, this was a nightmare.  Ever since she had wound up this size she had been screaming, trying to get Gina to notice her.  Her begging and pleading fell on uncaring ears, if they reached at all, and it was not long until she screamed herself hoarse.  She continued her wordless entreaties, moving her lips to say how sorry she was and ask Gina to make her a little bigger, just enough to be the same size as Julie, though she knew she might as well have been doing nothing.

When Gina’s gaze finally did fall on her, Shelby regretted that she asked for it.  Under the gaze of two tremendous blue eyes she felt the size disparity in full, with individual flecks in Gina’s irises larger than her.  With every movement of Gina’s full lips, mountain ridges to the woman stuck on her finger, Shelby was terrified for a terrifying syllable that never came.  Instead the silent colossus simply considered her, reinforcing her abject superiority without having to do anything but look down at her.

At the same time, Gina had been intentionally neglecting Julie, building the impression that she was now beneath the notice of anyone.  That was how Gina felt, after all, and Julie was just as attention-driven as she was.  Now that she was left at her feet, unattended, her tiny, high-pitched wails filtered up from the floor almost constantly.  Going from a ten-foot behemoth to nothing more than a nuisance must have been eating her up inside.

A small, gentle tug pulled at one of her ruined stockings, and Gina grinned.  The last time she had felt that her boy-toy was desperately climbing up her leg, starving for a tiny nugget of attention from her.  While she had been doing that to make him jealous – he loved her, of course, no matter how much she toyed with his heart – it made Julie crave any human contact, no matter how harmful.  The tiny itch slowly progressed up her calf, and Gina considered how far she should let her go before scraping her off with her other foot.

Before she could remove the pest from her leg, a series of thundering footsteps came racing up the stairs.  Gina looked around the room, hoping it was Akane coming back for more humanitarian nonsense, but the gigantic woman was leaning over a table in the back of the room and holding a whispered conversation with Roni.  The pounding rapidly grew more intense before dying off, the lull before the storm.  With a final rumble the door shook in its frame, and the brass doorknob spun in a powerful grip.

The door swung inward, revealing a powerful, feminine frame in its place, only visible from the chest down.  Black, skin-tight leggings clung to her toned thighs and calves, and a pair of white Adidas sneakers were pulled over her gigantic feet.  The tail of a red shirt hung down past her waist, loose and hugging her sides simultaneously.  For a moment she stood there, filling the doorway with her titanic body, and Gina could not tear her eyes away.

Ashley stooped forward and turned to the side, nearly doubling over to squeeze through the door frame into Gina’s room, making her platinum blond hair fall from her shoulders.  When she was sure she would not bang her head she stood back to her full height, then took a moment to flip her hair back onto her statuesque shoulders.  She looked around, scanning the room for the tiny blond but finding only the titanic Asian at the far side of the room.  Her eyes swept back, slower and more carefully this time, and spotted a particularly small doll on the table by the bed.

With two long, purposeful strides Ashley closed the gap, then looked down at Gina with a smirk.  Slowly she bent forward, placing her hands on her knees and leaning toward the shrunken woman on the tabletop.  When her nose was nearly touching her she stopped, then flashed her a full, pearly white smile.  “Hello, Gina!” she boomed, practically shouting into her face.  “Funny running into you here, isn’t it?”

Shelby felt a presence looming over her more than anything.  Looking up at Ashley’s face, she could scarcely even comprehend her as a person.  She could only look in one lake-sized eye at a time, its iris shining like tropical waters, with lashes wider than highways.  When she spoke, no noise emitted from her gargantuan lips hiding a great wall of teeth.  Instead, a powerful gale swept over her, blowing her auburn hair back while making every corner of her body rattle violently from its force.  Tears involuntarily formed in her green eyes, and she found there was nowhere to look that was not dominated by Ashley.

Gina, however, was less impressed.  For months titanesses had been looming over her, using their vastly greater size to push her around like she was a toy instead of merely a temporarily embarrassed giantess.  Ashley’s size no longer bothered her after this time, but she could never get past how damn pretty she was.  With her radiant complexion, baby blue eyes, and immaculate bone structure, Ashley was the only girl her age Gina had ever been jealous of.  Even at a fraction of her size and practically standing on her nose, Gina could not see a hint of makeup or powder on the massive face above her.

“Not really,” Gina finally answered.  “It’s your day to ‘play’ with me, as you like to say.”

Ashley laughed, belting a series of hot breezes onto Gina while making her joints quiver.  “I meant it’s funny you’re on the table,” she clarified.  “Because you’re small, get it?  You’re really small!”  She made a loud pop with her lips before continuing.  “Now that you mention it, nobody’s seen our friends since they stopped by for their play dates with you.  You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”

Gina shook her head.  “Haven’t seen ‘em,” she lied.  The two puny women stuck to her screamed for recognition, but Gina knew from experience it was impossible for Ashley to hear them.  They were simply too small.

“You must’ve had a lonely couple of days, then,” Ashley replied.  “With no friends to hang out with you must have been dreadfully bored.”  Her velvety voice washed over Gina, its deep, gentle tones sliding her into relaxation.

“Akane’s been here,” Gina shot back, “so I’ve hardly been alone.”

Ashley cackled once, breaking her voice’s spell on Gina.  “She doesn’t count!” she boomed, her voice hitting Gina like a hurricane.  “I’m talking about your friends, not your weird caretaker!”

“She’s actually pretty interesting once you get to know her,” Gina countered.  “We really should’ve hung out with her more, I think she would’ve brought a unique perspective to our group.”  Although Gina could not stand defending Akane, it doubtlessly irritated Ashley.

“Sounds like you’ve got Stockholm Syndrome,” Ashley declared, standing back to her full height.  While Gina looked up at the woman towering over her she continued, “And without our other friends coming to visit you, I can’t in good conscience leave you here by yourself.  I need to take you home with me so I can keep you safe.”

Before Gina could react Ashley’s hand was already barreling toward her, fingers curled downward like a claw.  They hit the glass floor with a bang, and Gina found herself in a tiny cage with fingers for bars.  The fingers snapped shut, closing around the ex-giantess in an instant and holding her fast.  Ashley pulled her fingers in further, closing Gina in a fist.  With a sense of finality she pressed Gina against her palm, holding her so tightly she could not move.

As the light around her was squelched, Gina resigned herself to her fate, at least temporarily.  If she was stuck at Ashley’s house, her plan to get big again would be derailed, and she would have to find some other way to return to her natural grandeur.  On the plus side, she would be spared from who knows how many sanctimonious, moralizing speeches from Akane while she plotted her escape.  Besides, out of all of them Ashley had threatened to obliterate her the least, and being played with like a toy would only make her revenge burn hotter.

The gentle swaying of Ashley’s gait came to an abrupt stop, followed by a commanding voice from outside the fleshy walls of her fist.  “And where do you think you’re taking her?” Akane demanded.

“None of your business, freak,” Ashley replied, making gentle vibrations ripple over her captives.  “Now get out of my way.”

“I don’t think so.”  Gina’s insides shifted when Ashley lurched backward in retreat.  “Gina needs to stay here.  Trust me, it’s better for everyone if I keep an eye on her.”

“You’re not even her friend,” Ashley countered, “so what do you know?  Just move.”

“I will, once you give me Gina,” Akane countered.  “You can play with her here all you want, but she stays here.”

“You gonna make me?”  Even in the darkness Gina could see Ashley’s smug face.

Without answering Akane reached forward, grabbing the smaller giantess by the wrist.  In one sudden jerk she raised it to her chest, and before Ashley could do anything Akane reached in with her other hand.  Forcefully she wedged her fingers beneath Ashley’s prying open her fist to reveal Gina lying prone in her palm.  The blond tried to yank her hand back, but with a quick swipe she snagged the tiny woman, wrapping her long, slender fingers around her minute, shaking body.

Unfortunately, Shelby and Julie missed the ride.  With the sudden jolts to Gina’s body Julie lost her grip on the stocking, careening wildly past her feet to land on the enormous soft platform of Ashley’s palm.  The forces were also enough to break the bond Gina’s skin had made with Shelby, and when Akane reclaimed the enormous platform she had been hanging from she flew away from the unfathomably large fingers.  She plunged toward Ashley’s outstretched palm, an impossible target to miss, to disappear within the whorls of her skin.

“Hey!  Give her back!” Ashley protested, struggling to get her arm free from Akane’s fierce grip.  The taller woman fixed her with a contemptuous look and squeezed harder, making Ashley wince.  She flailed with her free hand, trying to crawl at Akane’s face, but succeeded only in getting her other hand grabbed.  While she struggled to get out of the grip Akane bowed her head and rushed forward, slamming her forehead into the bridge of Ashley’s nose.

Ashley’s head shot back, and for a moment all she could see was stars.  Akane released one of her arms but dragged the other one higher, opening her up wider.  She planned to strike once her vision had cleared, but when the stars receded all she could do was gasp.  Her eyes were at Akane’s waist and rapidly getting lower.  Trying to fight her would be futile, and she was powerless to do anything but watch as she became ever more towering.

First her heels lifted off the ground, then the rest of her feet while her body continued to get smaller.  Akane showed no emotion as she watched Ashley dwindle, attending to it like it was merely her duty.  The smaller Ashely became the more humongous every part of Akane seemed until she disappeared into her hand.  In the safety of darkness, with soft, warm walls around her, she began to mentally process what had just happened.

The reprieve did not last long.  The ceiling of fingers flew open, and Ashley found herself under the watchful gaze of an enormous dark eye set against eggshell-colored skin.  She let out an ear-piercing scream of shock, though it was more like a tricycle wheel squeaking to Akane.  Reflexively Ashely tried to scoot away from the massive iris, but there was nowhere for her to go.  Even were she not being held hundreds of feet in the air, there was simply nowhere to hide.

“Figured you’d be too stubborn to listen,” Akane chided, clicking her tongue while she looked at the newly-shrunken woman in her hand.  “All you had to do was leave Gina in her room and you’d be your normal size, but you couldn’t even do that.”

“Hey!  Put me down!” Ashley protested, not listening to the tremors erupting from Akane’s mouth.  “I deserve some dignity!”

Akane couldn’t help but chuckle.  “All right,” she began, “but I’m not sure how long your dignity will last down there.”  Slowly, careful not to jostle the women in her grip, Akane bent her knees until she was squatting as far down as she could.  Then she brought her hands to the carpet beside each other and turned her palms sideways, letting their occupants slide out.  Ashley tumbled the inch or so to the ground while Gina simply landed in a crouch.

Gina walked toward Ashley lying on the ground, striding confidently over the tall carpet fibers.  She stopped in front of her and placed her hands on her hips, staring victoriously down at her.  For a moment she basked in the misery of her defeated foe while she could only moan, afraid to even look up.  “Pathetic,” Gina said.  “Get up and face me.”

With shaking arms Ashley pushed herself up to a crouch, then jerkily stood as tall as she could.  When she looked up at Gina she nearly broke into tears.  She was shorter than her legs alone, and while Gina gazed down at her smugly she felt like she was at the base of a monolith.  Her mouth opened to ask for mercy, but all that game out was a stammering mess, all her words colliding with each other on the way out.

“Wipe your hand on my leg,” Gina demanded, staring coldly down at Ashley.  Her hand quivered while she brought it up and set it on Gina’s thigh, just above her knee.  “Wipe it well.”  She pressed hard, dragging her palm against the coarse nylon as it went.  Gina watched her with a satisfied grin, glad to have this power back.  Hopefully, that had been enough to free the pair of miniscule women.

Ashley finished wiping her hand and dropped it back to her side, shaking.  “Good,” Gina boomed confidently.  “Now, get used to looking up.”  Her glare intensified and Ashley began dwindling again, quickly dropping along Gina’s shin and past her ankle.  By the time she had stopped, the top of Gina’s big toe loomed over her.

With a grin Gina leaned over and extended a hand toward the diminutive woman.  She was paralyzed with fear, and Gina was easily able to pinch her fingers around her.  In a single, smooth movement she stood back up, knowing it would toss Ashley’s insides around like a tornado, and held her in front of her face.  “Welcome to the party, ‘friend,’” she declared mockingly, and winked an enormous blue eye at her.

Akane had seen enough, and without the trio coming to terrorize Gina and the others she could finally set some of their victims free.  She set her hands on her knees with a resonating clap and stood, casting Gina’s puny form in shadow.  Cautiously, she took a step forward, making sure her tremendous brown loafer sailed well over her head and landed clear.  Her other leg repeated the motion, and she stood in front of the vast terrarium.

With a heave she opened the lid and looked down at the tribe of small people gathered before her.  Briefly she looked them over, smiling, while she considered who to free first.  As she gazed at the huddled masses, the answer became clear.

“Kimberly!” she intoned.  “Step forward!”  The crowd parted to let a brown-haired girl pass, murmuring as she went.  Half of them were excited, while the others expected a trick.  It had been so long since any of them had been free, and for all they knew the power had gone to Akane’s head in that time.

The brunette looked up at Akane’s beaming face and smiled back.  She believed in Akane and did not flinch when the gargantuan hand descended toward her.  Two fingertips gently clamped around her chest, and she felt herself soar as the titaness lifted her into the air.  It took a minute for the slow ascent to reach the top, but Akane kept her hand steady the whole time.  Once she was out of the terrarium, Akane carefully rotated, handling Kimberly like a volatile material, and lowered her to the carpet the same way she had done with Gina and Ashley.  This time, however, she made sure the tiny woman had steady footing before releasing her and standing back up to her full height.

“Kimberly,” Akane began, “Go back out into the world and be as beautiful as you have in here.”  Smiling contentedly, she closed her eyes, feeling the tiny woman at her toes.  She imagined her growing larger, expanding until she was at Akane’s knees and steadily growing along her thighs.  As her crown crossed Akane’s waist she began to slow it down, not wanting to create another tremendous bully like Gina.  All she wanted to do was return her original size, and to her amazement she leveled out at a little over six feet.

When the growth stopped Kimberly looked around in disbelief.  She looked up at Akane, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks.  With a sob she reached forward and wrapped her arms around one of Akane’s thighs, clutching it tightly.  “Thank you,” she said between heaves.  “Just… thank you.”

“Aw, don’t cry!” Akane said, rustling her chestnut hair.  “You need to go back looking your best!  I know all the guys will be excited to see you again.”  She stroked Kimberly’s hair and concluded by patting her shoulder, ensuring her everything was going to be okay now.

Gina watched Akane place the tiny woman at her own feet, losing sight of her against the brown leather of her shoes.  Had she shrunk someone named Kimberly?  It was so long ago it was difficult to remember.  There were still several people in there from when she ruled over it as a goddess, but she had never bothered to remember their names.

To Gina’s surprise the woman began to grow, swiftly rising past Akane’s ankles and up her shins.  As she grew her feet expanded back, and Gina watched with shock as the heel came toward her.  In only a few seconds Kimberly had dwarfed her, and she was looking at the top of her light brown riding boots.  Her growth continued and Gina continued craning her neck back to keep track of it.  The small heel of her boot was pushed along the ground, and through it threatened to overwhelm Gina soon she could not tear her gaze away from the expanding colossus.

At last it stopped, a mere inch short of dragging Gina beneath it.  At the feet of a titaness, Gina was reminded of just how tenuous her situation was.  She may have dominance over her friends, but even someone who had previously been puny like Kimberly posed a threat to her.  If she was going to reclaim her status as a deity, she had better do it soon.

Kimberly relinquished her grip on Akane’s thigh, drying her eyes on her skirt.  The words were choked in her throat, so she simply gave a final wave and turned to leave.  She glanced down and saw a small, black speck, about half the height of her boot’s toe.  Gina, small and powerless, at her feet.  The reason for six months of torment and separation from her family.  They locked eyes, and Kimberly imagined the satisfaction she would feel hearing her bones crunch beneath her boot.  An accident, she would say, if Akane even tried to stop her.

Kimberly’s heel lifted from the ground, and she kept her eyes locked on Gina as she brought her foot forward.  Her sole passed over the tiny woman, and now it was only a matter of bringing it down.  Before she could slam her sole against the carpet, though, she thought better of it.  As much joy as it would bring her to smash her tormenter, she knew it would serve no purpose.  She continued her step, relishing the moment she stood astride Gina, and left the room.

Gina met Kimberly’s gaze, terrified of what was about to come.  She was vulnerable and they both knew it.  Her jaw dropped when the leather of her boot wrinkled, and she threw up her hands when the sturdy, lined sole passed over her.  It hovered for a moment, the ball of Kimberly’s foot directly above her, before continuing its arc, giving her a hurried view of the weathered design on her sole.  The ground shook when her boot set down beyond her, making Gina’s teeth chatter, and soon enough it was just her and Akane again.

I was functionally blind inside the slimy, airtight walls of Li’s throat.  The heat from her body assailed me, and the only sound in my ears was her muscles’ churning as they forced me down.  Resisting was useless, and I tried to take comfort in the softness of the tissue around me.  Soon the only thing I felt would be chemical burns from her stomach acid, followed by an eternity of nothingness and oblivion.

A massive force slammed into Li’s body below me, and my trip to certain doom halted.  Shockwaves from the impact rocked everything around me, and a gust of air rushed past me.  The colossus containing me dropped with a thud, shaking me again, and the walls around me spasmed.  Irregular, hacking gusts of stale air slammed into me from the bottom, but her throat muscles held me tight.

Another hit blasted into Li from the other side, making her whole body quake.  A tremendous voice, distorted by the layers of flesh around me, shouted, “Spit him out!” and her throat muscles went in reverse.  Li tried to swallow again but a second blow interrupted her, and I was conveyed further from her stomach.  The body around me was panicking, trying to refill its lungs with air while clearing the airway.  Her throat hissed hoarsely, but there was no air to support her coughs.

A third blow shocked Li’s chest cavity, and I was pushed out of her esophagus and through her epiglottis to land on the back of her tongue.  Through her pristine teeth I saw a cupped palm nearly pressed against her lips, ready to catch whatever fell out.  A sputtering cough wracked her body, and the sudden rush of air lifted my miniscule body from where I rested.  In a flash I rocketed between Li’s teeth and out her lips to land on the soft, welcoming skin of the waiting palm.

Before I was even settled the world began to shift, but the hand’s incline was steeper than the walls of a teacup and held me solidly in place.  A moment later I was looking at a pair of ice blue eyes that stood out amid sand-colored skin, with dark eyebrows arched downward.  “Shit, dude, are you okay?” Fulda asked.  “Please tell me you’re okay.”  I moaned and moved my arms a little, the most I could manage at the time, and she relaxed.  “Good, you’re alive.”  It was weird, but she actually seemed concerned.

Fulda moved me to the side so she could look down at Li.  “And you!” she bellowed, her anger coming back.  “What the fuck is wrong with you?  I set you up with a smart, sweet, funny man, and you try to eat him?”  Li hiccupped in response.  “He may be tiny, but that’s no excuse.  If you need to eat someone so badly shrink someone else, don’t shove my fucking friend down your throat.”  Wheezing came from the floor as Li tried to say something but could not.

“I really should do something worse to you,” Fulda continued, “but I can’t even stand looking at you right now.  Get your head straight before you even think about talking to me again.”  The monument supporting me swayed and a loud click echoed through the air, followed by another one while she brought me back in front of her face.  Her eyes darted between me and the way in front of her, checking to make sure I was still with her.  When she was in the hallway Fulda called out, “And I’m not paying to fix your door!”

She took a few steps down the hall and stopped.  “Hey, you still with me?” Fulda asked softly.  “Say something, anything.”

I moaned as loudly as I could, but from her expectant eyes I could tell she wanted more.  “It hurts,” I finally managed, the crushing from Li’s throat still fresh all over my body.

“Hey, I know,” Fulda replied, and stroked me with a finger.  “Let me get you dried off and I’ll take you home.”  My view tilted while she bent over, and I heard her fumbling with something.  Several seconds later her other hand was back, this time pinching a large white tissue.  She carefully set it down on me, then gently dabbed Li’s saliva off my body with her fingertips.  Once she was satisfied, she wrapped the tissue around my body and lightly pinched me.

“Sorry about this, little guy,” she began, plucking me out of her palm, “but I can’t just walk down the street with you in my hand.”  I felt myself dropping though her fingers still held me securely, and moments later Fulda placed me on a soft floor, supported further by my tissue blanket.  A loud click came from above and the ground shuddered, then the swaying of Fulda’s gait resumed.

Between the gentle rocking inside Fulda’s clutch and the adrenaline from my near-death experience wearing off, I was suddenly very tired.  In moments I drifted off to sleep, curled up inside a tissue beside a tube of lipstick.

I have no idea how long I was out, but when I woke up sunlight was pouring through the windows.  The tissue had been replaced by a comforter heavy enough to pin me down, precisely pulled up to my chin, and I was on top of an enormous white pillow soft enough that even I made an indentation on it.  For a moment I thought I had finally been allowed to die, but the dull pain of being squeezed over my whole body came back and spoiled that illusion.

It took a moment for my eyes to adjust, but the first thing I noticed was Fulda’s towering body sitting on the mattress, her feet hanging down to the floor.  She was wearing the same dress as last night and her auburn hair was tousled.  Some of her makeup had run and her tired blue eyes stared unwaveringly down at me despite the bags under them.  Her pink lips were pulled back in a tight grin while she watched over me, almost looking peaceful from this distance.

She must have noticed my eyes flutter open, since her lips parted into a wide, toothy smile.  “Hey there!” Fulda exclaimed.  “I was starting to think you’d sleep all day.”  I wrested my arms free from under the blanket and pressed my hands against its edge to push myself free, but Fulda quickly reached down and placed a finger lightly on my chest.  “No, save your energy.  If you want to go somewhere, let me pick you up.”

I set my arms down atop the comforter on either side of Fulda’s fingertip.  “How long was I out?” I croaked.  My voice was weak, but at least it was back.

“A little over sixteen hours,” Fulda answered, moving her finger away from me.  “You were sound asleep when I took you out of my bag, not even my stomping woke you up.  I probably could’ve sat on you and you’d have slept right through it.”  A beat passed, and she blushed.  “Oh, sorry if it’s too soon, that was…”

“No, it’s fine,” I assured her.  “It was funny.”  I looked around the unfamiliar room, my eyes passing from the closed closet door over the plateau of drawers and stopping on a set of bars loaded with enormous metal discs.  “Where am I?”

“You’re in my bed,” she replied quickly.  “Once I got you out of the tissue I brought you here and tucked you in, figured it was the least I could do.  I tried to sleep on the couch, but I couldn’t.  My legs hung too far over the side… and I was worried about you.”

“Thanks,” I said, looking back to her.  “For everything.  If you’d hesitated even a second I would’ve ended up as Li’s snack.”

“I am so, so sorry about that,” Fulda pleaded.  “I hope you can find it in you to forgive me.  If I had known she’d try something horrible like that I never would have let her meet you.  She agreed to all the conditions, and she knew that if I saw her reach for you it was over right then.  Guess I shouldn’t have been so trusting.”

“It’s… it’s done,” I responded.  “You cleaned up the mess, there’s not much else you can do now.  Before she tried to swallow me, Li told me some interesting things though.”

Fulda audibly gulped.  She must have known I’d find out some day, and the time had finally come.  “L-like what?” she stammered.

“What your sorority did,” I answered.  “About your friends.  The parties.  You.  They acted just like she said they did when they killed shrunken people, they haven’t changed at all.  If they had a chance they would’ve crushed me, too.”

“I –“ Fulda began, but she stumbled over her words and I continued.

“And you could crush me at any time, just like you did all those others!  Isn’t that what you want?  Are you just waiting for your chance, maybe until you get bored with me again and can’t pawn me off on one of your sisters?”

“No I’m –“

“Just how long have you been shrinking people, anyway?”  A heavy silence filled the air.  “Well?”

Fulda let out a deep sigh before answering.  “Ten years.  I found the witchcraft book when I was fourteen and couldn’t help myself.  I was already tall, but I wanted more.  I wanted to be a giantess, but if I were a thousand feet tall they’d call the military on me, you know?  So I shrank people instead.”

She was trying to laugh it off, but I was on a righteous tear.  “What about when we were dating?” I began.  “Did you plan to shrink me from the start?  Were you going to crush me, too?”

“Yes… to both.”  Her voice was becoming heavier, as if each confession weighed her down more.  “I was going to date you for a few days, then take you up to my room where I’d shrink you and put you in my shoe.  On the day I was going to do it, we were on the stairs and I was practically dragging you up, but my sisters came home early.”  She paused as she recalled the memory.  “They saw me with you and got so excited that I was dating someone so short.  At first I kept you around because it was funny, especially when they cornered and looked down at you, but after a while I really did like you.  I wasn’t going to shrink you at all, but then I lost my temper at prom and… well you know what happened.”

I don’t know why I expected anything different.  However, I had already gotten one answer I didn’t like, so I might as well press on.  “How many deaths are you responsible for?”  She was quiet, but I insisted.  “How many, Fulda?”

“Personally, or…?”

“You and your whole damn sorority.”

“I don’t know.  Hundreds, easily.  I never wanted to hurt anyone, you have to believe me, but once I had that first guy down at my feet, begging me for mercy, I felt such a rush of power and I had to have more.  When I felt him crunch under my shoe it got so much more intense and I needed more.  At college I wanted to stop, but being able to shrink and eliminate people made it so much easier to get by.  Then I formed the sorority and a feedback loop started, with us egging each other on, trying to find new ways to do it, trying to get the most in one night… it got out of hand, I admit.  Since then, though, I’ve been a lot better about it.”

“Oh yeah?” I challenged her.  “When was the last time you shrank someone, then?  Did you let them go?”

“Two weeks ago.”  I was appalled that she kept doing it even with me around, but she kept talking.  “I didn’t plan on it, it just sort of happened!  There was a guy who wouldn’t leave me alone in the coffee shop, so I shrank him.  I couldn’t leave him tiny and didn’t want him to tell anyone, so I squeezed him between my thighs.  That was the first time I’d done it in months though, honest!”

“And what’s stopping you from crushing me?  A fit of boredom, maybe you miss the feeling, just decide I’m too annoying?”

“I would never crush you!”  Tears were welling in her eyes.  I must have hit a nerve.

“Why not?” I pressed.  “I’m already tiny, so the job’s half done, and that was the only reason you started dating me in the first place, right?  So let’s cut right do it, just pick me up and squeeze!”

“I don’t believe this!” Fulda boomed, making a single tear trail down her cheek.  “After all I’ve done for you and you think I’m going to smash you still?  If it weren’t for me Li would’ve swallowed you whole last night!  You want me to take you back and see if she’ll still do it?  Because I’m sure she’d be glad to!”

“You’re responsible for six years of my life I wouldn’t wish on anyone!” I countered.  “I was going to go to college, make something of myself, but you made me tiny and gave me to your sister!  You could’ve come back at any time and gotten me, but I guess it was too funny watching from a distance!”

“I did come back for you!” she shot back.  “I thought you would escape at some point, but you never did!  So I rescued you, took you into my home, gave you a place to stay, and this is the thanks I get?  I ought to take you to visit, see if she would do everything for you that I’ve done!”

“Go ahead, you didn’t have any problem the first time, so I don’t see why you wouldn’t again!”

“Because I love you, you little idiot!”  We both looked at each other in stunned silence, unmoving.  Her words hung heavily in the air even though I was not sure I had heard her right.

“I love you,” Fulda repeated tenderly.  “I didn’t realize it until you were gone, and by then it was too late.  I thought if I set you up with one of my friends I could be happy for you two, but none of them got it, they just thought you were some random tiny person.  Sometime around my junior year I realized the only reason I kept shrinking my boyfriends was to try and recreate the magic I had with you, but it was never the same.  They all resented me for it and tried to run, and I guess they were right to.  You, though… you were different.  You stayed.”

“It’s because I liked looking up at you,” I confessed.  “You were so big and strong, even before you shrank me, and I felt it even more once you were a giantess.  Turns out you were right all along: I do like really tall women, and the taller the better.  I want a woman to really tower over me, and like being bug-sized in comparison.  But only if that woman is you.”

“And I like that you’re small enough to fit in the palm of my hand,” Fulda purred.  “That you look up at my toes and stand on my stomach.  It makes me feel so powerful I don’t need anything else.”  She halted for a moment.  “Even so, I have been trying to make you your old size daily, because you deserve to have your life back.  Every time it doesn’t work I’m disappointed, but a little relieved, too.  It means we’re stuck together.”

“So I really am stuck like this?”

“I’ve tried everything I know and you’re still the same size,” Fulda answered.  “But it doesn’t have to be the end of the world.  Just being taller than someone doesn’t do it for me, and no one stays with me for long after I shrink them.  We’ve both seen what happens when you meet other women, too.  But together… I’m your giantess, and you’re my tiny man.  We’re the only two people in the whole world for each other.”

I balked at the notion.  She had just admitted to being the most prolific serial killer in history, and then said she loves me?  Not only that, but I fit the only criteria she had for selecting a victim.  Then again, she had also taken me out of the worst situations of my life, but only after putting me in them to begin with.  “I don’t know,” I said finally.  “I’ve been through a lot, and I’ve only had three dates in the past six years.”

“In that case,” Fulda began, back at her normal, overpoweringly confident self, “I’d like to set you up on another date.”

I cringed, then caught on.  “Does she have red hair, blue eyes, and stand about five hundred feet tall?”

“How’d you know?” she replied coyly.  “And this time I’ve known her my whole life.  She’s made some mistakes, done a lot of things she’s not proud of, but she’s been trying to do better as of late.  Interested?”

“Yeah, I’ll give it a shot,” I said.  “When can we meet?”

“She needs a bit of time to get ready, but it shouldn’t be too long.  She didn’t sleep very well and had a long night.”  Fulda reached down, stretching a hand over me, with thumb and forefinger poised to grab me.  They settled down on either side, then she very carefully, as though I were made of porcelain, slid me out from beneath the covers.  Then she stood, moving ponderously slow on her way out of the room.

Fulda held me steady as a rock in her hand, taking short, smooth steps that were barely audible from her soles padding on the ground.  It took several minutes until we were in front of my miniature house, normally just a few steps outside her door.  She gradually bent her knees, perfectly in control of her body, until she could squat no further, then cautiously lowered her hand and gently set me on the hard wood floor.

Once she let go of me Fulda rocketed back to her titanic height and looked down at me, smiling.  I was only too happy to return her gaze, standing as close as I could to her stockinged toe to gaze up at her.  “She’ll be by in a few minutes to pick you up,” she declared, winking.  “Don’t bother waiting outside, she’ll let herself in.  And she wants this to be casual, so feel free to dress down.”  After another wink her foot sailed away, hitting me with a gust of air as it went, and she turned to go back into her room, the ground quaking in her wake.

I watched her for as long as I could, but when she shut the door I could barely even see the soles of her feet through the crack at the bottom.  With a shake of my head I broke myself out of the trance and dashed into my small home.  This might be the one date that really mattered, and I was not going to mess it up.

Shelby walked along the rim of a vast crater, hopping over potholes in the blasted, lifeless landscape she inhabited now.  Her red hair was tangled and wild, the result of running for her life for a whole day after spending the one before trapped in someone’s fist.  By now her green eyes has gone dull, though she could not afford to let them stop darting around.  She had not gotten any sleep in over two days and did not expect she would for several more.  Death could come from her at any moment, striking from miles away.  If she felt the ground shake, she knew, it would be too late.

The table’s glass top had always seemed so smooth and serene when looking at it from above.  Even when she had first been shrunk it looked placid, and though it would take her hours she could cross it on foot without issue.  At this scale, however, it was more like the Moon’s surface.  She could not even see through the glass: to her, it was cloudy and chipped, like poor quartz.  The only difference from that celestial body was the lack of a horizon.  Shelby could see for dozens of miles if unobstructed, though there was not much to see aside from the occasional foot stomping through her line of sight.

She turned her eyes upward from the bleak expanse to what had cast a long, inescapable shadow over her.  Akane was sitting at the desk, looming over her despite being completely unaware of her presence.  A normal-sized person would need an electron microscope to see her, she figured, and even that might not be enough.  The only way she knew it was Akane above her was the single dark eye she could see, along with the absolutely incomprehensible scale of her.  Her face was so immense that she could only focus on one part of it at a time despite its great distance from her.  In Shelby’s eyes, she was the embodiment of absolute power, her mind so removed from concerns on her level that they might as well be in different dimensions.

Though Akane had been sitting there for twenty minutes, the only effect she had on Shelby was her cold, dark shadow.  Not even Akane’s breath affected her, safely flowing around her instead of blowing her away like a mote of dust.  A constant low growl traveled through the pockmarked glass while Akane wrote on a sheet of paper that might as well be a long skyscraper to Shelby, but by now that was just part of the environment for her.  She simply told herself that there was an unusually large hive of bees nearby to take her mind off the fact that such an inconsequential act could discomfort her so and grind at the fabric of her mind.

The ground trembled as though it were about to split open, and a tremendous black object appeared in Shelby’s path.  At first glance it was like a large black wall, impossible to scale, had suddenly sprouted up in front of her, complete with weathering and scratches.  When she looked up, however, the wall changed from a firm, solid material to one that looked fuzzy, or that it might have some sort of black vegetation growing on it.  Continuing upward the wall boughed out, the reverse incline rendering it effectively unclimbable if its sheer size had not.  Further up the wall abruptly stopped, revealing a dark, yet somehow blurry, night sky beyond it.  After it came into focus, Shelby realized that it was merely Gina’s stocking, rather threadbare after being worn almost constantly for months at a time. 

There was supposed to be an order so that things like this didn’t happen.  Gina was supposed to watch Ashley, Ashley would watch Julie, and Julie would watch Shelby.  If they had kept to that, no one would get lost despite the immense size differences between the ostensible friends.  Unfortunately, as so often happens with such arrangements, it was forgotten about within an hour, and Shelby along with it.  Ashley had suddenly picked Julie up from the ground, and Shelby slipped out of Julie’s loosened grip.  By the time the larger woman was aware of what happened they were some distance away, and outside of an amazing coincidence there was no way they could find Shelby again.

The air around her crackled with energy, and Shelby felt as though she were going to vibrate apart.  There was no way to hide from it, since it seemed to be coming from all directions, even the ground.  She looked around, terrified of what could be causing this much of a disruption out of nowhere, but it stopped before she could find it.  There was no time to feel relief, however, as it came back hundreds of times stronger before she could even feel the tiniest bit of relief.  Shelby felt her mind rolling inside her cranium, and she desperately glanced around to find the source.  Her eyes came to a stop on Akane’s titanic pink lips as they bent and contorted above her, and she felt sick.  All of this was being caused by a mere conversation.

Though she was sure that she would be destroyed by the force of their voices, Shelby was never killed by the power of their unintentional sonic assault.  In her current state, that was the greatest disappointment she could get.

“So are you going to grow me back now or what?” Gina demanded of the woman looming over her, oblivious of the torment she was causing below.  Being shorter than anyone else had been unthinkable to her all her life, let alone tiny.  As young as twelve she knew she would outgrow her oldest sister, and she never hesitated to heap mockery on those shorter than her.  There was especially no quarter for that flea she had brought back while they were dating, whom Gina secured for herself.  She was going to be the tallest, and she was going to have the admiration of the smallest.

Akane did not see things her way.  “No,” she simply replied, then paused.  She ought to elaborate.  “There are still dozens of people in that tank, and you’re responsible for them being there.”  Her hand gestured toward the terrarium against the opposite wall.  “Many of them are even left from your reign of terror.  Until every single one of them is back to their original size and with their family, it would be irresponsible for me to even think about giving you a single inch.”

“But I’m a giantess!” Gina protested, stomping her foot.  “My destiny is to tower over everyone else, and it is beneath my dignity to…”

Akane slapped the table, cutting her off.  Her strike made Shelby’s joints pop and loosen as the force of an earthquake never before felt by humans ploughed into her, but nobody heard her cries of surprise and pain.  “You don’t look like a giantess to me,” Akane replied.  She regarded the puny blond on the table with contempt.  She had no interest in Gina’s destiny, as she called it, or reinforcing the tiny madwoman’s delusions.  Her first task, above everything else, was helping the people she had hurt.

“It’s not about size, it’s about attitude!” Gina shot back.  “I’m more than a giantess, I’m a goddess.  The people in that terrarium worship me, and they need me more than I need them!”

“Is that so?”  Akane reached out with her free hand and very carefully plucked Gina up by the collar of her shirt, letting her dangle freely in her grip.  Shelby, barely recovered from the last calamity, screamed and took cover as the sky was falling, but it stopped several miles or so from landing on her.  The largest woman deftly plucked Gina from the table and held her in front of her face, dropping her pen with an earth-rending clatter to Shelby so she could pay attention to the temporarily-embarrassed giantess.

“If you’re a goddess, smite me.”  Akane glared at the tiny tyrant in her grasp, daring her to do something, anything.  “It must be in your power, right?  I doubt you, so you can strike me down whenever you want.”  She could see Gina pouting, despite her diminished size.  Akane let the challenge sit a moment before smirking.  “I remain here, unsmoten.  What’s the hold up?”

“Smiting people isn’t in my powers!” Gina proclaimed.  “I’m the goddess of size, you see, not smiting disbelievers.  It would be inappropriate for me to impinge on another deity’s portfolio.”

“I see,” came Akane’s reply, accompanied by a short giggle.  “Well then, who’s in charge of smiting people?  Maybe you can tell them about my disloyalty and they can smite me for you, really teach me a lesson.”

“Roni,” Gina answered.  “If you take me to her I can get this whole thing cleared up, and she’ll smite you good!”  She bellowed it with such confidence, like she thought that would actually work.

“Now Gina,” Akane began calmly, “you know I can’t let you and Roni see each other.  You’d just grow each other back to your old sizes and start terrorizing people again.  I wasn’t born yesterday, you know.”  She looked at Gina swinging helplessly beneath her pinched grip.  Akane took no pleasure from her impotent fury, though it was funny.  In truth, it broke her heart to be mean to anyone, even Gina, but she had her priorities.

“Well then,” Gina started, “grow me back yourself.”  She waited for Akane to burst out laughing, but that never came.  “I can double the rate you get these people out of my room and back to their families for nothing, and I can get my old life back!”

“What did I just tell you about being born yesterday?” Akane asked.  Though she admired Gina’s persistence, she was starting to feel a little insulted.  “Your old life involved tormenting people smaller than you, and you clearly haven’t learned not to do that.  If I grew you by any significant amount, you’d just get Roni and start that cycle again, and I’d be out sending someone home.  Besides, I’ve already grown someone back today, remember?  You shouted an awful lot about how it should have been you, at least.”

Gina fumed inwardly.  Yes, she remembered how that ungrateful bitch Zoe had grown until she dwarfed her in size, hugged Akane around the thighs, and then ran out of the room crying.  It was only a few hours ago, and she made a mental note of everyone who escaped.  “Why not just let me off this table, then?” Gina suggested.  “It’s much too restrictive for me, and I’d like to be able to walk around my room at least.”

Akane fixed Gina with a stare from her big, black eyes.  She really wished Gina would give her more credit.  “So that as soon as I turn my back, you can go running to Roni and become a terror again?  Come on, I can read you like a book.  The first time I left to go to the bathroom I’d come back to you filling the room and eager to prove to the world that you’re a goddess again, whatever that means to you.”

“Okay, how about this,” Gina came back almost immediately, as though it were her idea to begin with.  “Let me off the table for an hour a day.  It can be whenever you want, and you can watch me the whole time.  I just want to stretch my legs more than I can here!  Plus, how is keeping me trapped on this table any more cruel than me keeping people trapped in that terrarium over there, hm?”

Akane considered the tiny woman’s words.  There was no doubt that she was far from as cruel as Gina, since she had never eaten or crushed any of the people who would otherwise be at her feet.  However, an hour of freedom, completely under her supervision, couldn’t hurt, right?  Maybe it would even teach Gina the lesson that power isn’t what you take from people, but what you give them.  “Fine,” she hissed through gritted teeth, “an hour a day.  But only because I’m so magnanimous.  If you try anything – and I mean, the slightest bit of misdirection – you’ll be looking up at Shelby again.  Got it?”

Gina nodded feverishly, making her limp body sway in Akane’s grasp.  “Yeah, of course!” she shouted.  “I don’t even think I could traverse the whole room in an hour, so you have nothing to worry about.  At least, my tiny boyfriend could never manage it.”  Akane rolled her eyes at that last bit.  Despite all her teachings, she still had not gotten it through her head that the shrunken person she kept prisoner for six years and regularly threatened to kill was not, in fact, her boyfriend.

“We might as well start your first hour now then, huh?” Akane offered, already carrying Gina away from the table.  “I mean, you’re so eager to get to it and all.”  Akane lowered the former titaness below the table and along her tall black socks, expecting a shout of protest any second.  When it did not come, she told herself that maybe she did not have any plans to immediately betray her, and that was enough.  At the very least, it gave her time to plan for the eventuality that she did betray her.

Gina obediently allowed herself to be slowly lowered along Akane’s shin, not even protesting once she was down to her ankle.  When her feet finally set down on the hard plastic mat around the chair she let out a small yelp of surprise, inaudible to someone whose ears were hundreds of feet above her.  In good time, an hour a day would be all she needed.  “There, was that so hard?” she yelled up at the gigantic Japanese girl.  Though she stood even with the toes of her gigantic brown loafers, she would not allow herself to feel small.  “It’s not like I asked you to make me gigantic again!”

“No, you just did everything short of that,” Akane retorted.  She was far from trusting Gina, but she was confident in her abilities to make sure nothing got out of hand.  Hopefully, she would learn that the true power she wanted, whether it be giantess, goddess, whatever, came from the kindness with which she treated people, and not the punishments she was able to mete out from her sheer size.  “You might want to start moving now, your hour’s already started.”

Gina did not waste her time nodding enthusiastically.  Instead, she began walking a path around Akane’s chair, pretending that her primary interest really was in simply getting off the great plateau above.  The whole time she felt Akane’s dark eyes on her, not wanting to give her even a second unobserved.  That was fine.  After all this time being tiny, she could wait a bit longer to make her move.

Shelby had followed the proceedings with a vested interest.  Once she had returned to her original size, there’s no way Gina would hold a grudge, right?  Regardless, it was better than taking her chances with her current circumstances, where she’d starve to death in weeks.  She grabbed onto the sole of Gina’s shoe before she was lifted away from her grasp, a titaness taken by what might as well be a planet.  If that blond bully would get out of this, she told herself, so would she.

While she dangled, Shelby had more than enough time to take shelter in one of the pits of Gina’s shoes.  She crawled into the opening as though it were a cave, and there was more than enough space for her to stretch out.  It did not take long for her to make herself comfortable.  Despite her bluster, Shelby also believed this was a momentary embarrassment for the giantess who had given her everything, including friendship.  Once Gina was on the ground, she kicked her feet up and relaxed.  Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday, Gina would be back on top, and she intended to ride that wave as high as she could.  It was a damn sight better than waiting to die on the table.

I stripped off my clothes, dropping them in the middle of the plastic floor.  Fulda had made a heroic effort to dry me off, but some of Li’s saliva had already seeped into the fabric, making it hard and crispy as I pulled it away from my body.  Even without being caked in saliva, this suit was thoroughly ruined.  Deep tears exposed the lining at both shoulders, and the coattails had been severely discolored and, in some places, dissolved.  Fortunately, I would not be needing it today, or perhaps ever again.

The marvel of miniature construction Fulda provided me had running water, so I went to take a shower and get cleaned up.  Layers of grime and dirt sloughed off me with the water, remainders of the peanut butter I had been stuck to and the inside of Li’s throat that had gotten stuck to me.  I scrubbed myself thoroughly, as though getting rid of the filth would also clean the memory from my head.  Say what you will about Gina, in all her years of torment she never once swallowed me despite all her threats.

Once I was clean, I simply stood under the hot water, letting it flow over me while I contemplated what was next.  Was this really happening?  Would it be a bigger mistake to say yes, or no?  During my time under Gina’s thumb I had built up so much resentment toward Fulda for placing me in that situation, blaming her for everything that happened to me while I was there, and for stealing any chance I had at a normal life.  Not only that but she was a murderer, and had enabled other murderers, who did it for the sheer thrill.  However, since the rescue she had shown genuine remorse and made sure my every need was taken care of – this shower was just one example.  It seemed like she genuinely cared for me and was not just saying so, and at least wanted to try making amends.

The water was starting to get cold, so I turned the shower off and dried myself.  She had suggested dressing down, which was convenient because most of the clothes she left for me were on the casual side.  After a couple tries, I managed to find a pair of jeans that fit reasonably well, and a shirt with the name of the college she went to – that we were both going to attend – on the front, maybe a size too large for me.  Apparently, the person she took this from did not get as small as me.  Sneakers were easy, and I could not help smiling a little looking at the size 7.  These were probably the smallest shoes in the world right now.

When I was finished dressing, I sat on the foot of my bed to wait.  I had intentionally taken longer than necessary to get ready, so I figured she’d be along shortly.  Fifteen minutes of twiddling my thumbs and bouncing my heels off the floor later, I was not so certain.  Maybe she fell asleep, I told myself, since she had been up all night watching over me.  Then came the worry that she had changed her mind and no longer wanted to go through with this.  It’s not like I could blame her: I was hardly ideal boyfriend material.  Unemployed, high school dropout, no friends or hobbies, not even an inch tall – not exactly every girl’s dream.

When the door thundered open I jumped, nearly falling off the bed.  My walls and floor shook from heavy, ponderous steps each shockwave and thud stronger and louder than the last.  The room became dark beneath a shadow and I rushed to the window, making it right when her foot settled in front of the window.  I gazed through it and over the rounded white rubber toe of her shoe to the billboard-sized ALL-STAR logo and the smooth, perfectly bronzed skin of her ankle, and my heart began racing.  This was really happening.

“I know I said I’d let myself in,” Fulda boomed, every rumbling syllable hitting me with bliss, “but I don’t think I’ll fit through your door.  Don’t worry, I can find another way.” 

Wrinkles appeared on Fulda’s ankle when her shin leaned forward while she squatted.  Her tremendous body wobbled minutely while she got settled, quickly finding stability.  A beat passed, then something enormous landed on the roof, causing the whole house to rattle.  Fulda always had a flair for the dramatic, and she waited another moment pass to build suspense.  Finally, with a single, powerful yank she tore the roof off – she designed it to be removable, thankfully – and set it down beside the house.

Though it was nothing to her, tearing my roof off was a subtle display of her raw power, and I felt a rush of excitement as I looked up at her looming over my house.  She looked completely refreshed compared to earlier, like she had managed to get a full night’s rest in the time it took to get ready.  Her icy blue eyes shone down at me like the sky outside, and each strand of her auburn hair had been smoothed down against her scalp or woven into a broad braid starting above her temples.  A fresh layer of pink gloss made her lips sparkle, and her make-up had been fixed so that only a few light freckles across her nose were visible.  I could spend all day gazing up at her magnificently sculpted face and never grow bored.

“I’m here to pick you up for our date, little man.”  Her rumbling voice gave me a warm feeling all over, enhanced by her commanding tone.  “You ready?”

“Yeah, let’s go!” I replied.  Despite my size, I never had to shout so Fulda could hear me.  “You’re parked nearby, right?”

Fulda gave me a lopsided grin.  “I was thinking more literally.”  Her hand appeared over a wall, fingertips resting atop it.  She kept it there for a second, sizing me up before making the grab.  Maybe she wanted to be absolutely sure I was ready before making her move.  When her hand came toward me I made no effort to get away from it, and simply kept my eyes on the skin between her thumb and index finger.  Their tips pinched around me, pinning my arms against my side, and Fulda gingerly plucked me off the floor.

She lifted me slowly, just fast enough to cause a minor sinking feeling in my stomach, and held me about a foot away from the tip of her nose.  “I hope you don’t mind traveling by giantess today,” she joked, and carefully unfolded her legs.  The ascent was quicker this time but still smooth, and her head stopped just shy of the ceiling.  We kept our eyes locked on each other while we walked, the vibrations from her footfalls regular reminders that I wasn’t dreaming.

“So, where are we going?” I asked.  “Somewhere fun?”

Fulda gave me a knowing grin.  “Somewhere very exclusive, but very familiar to me,” she replied mysteriously.  “But I think you’ll really enjoy it.”  If it had been anyone else I’d be irritated, but the way she did it, with just a hint of flirtatiousness, I didn’t mind.  I saw the door pass by in my peripheral vision.  Either she had forgotten something, or there was a very short list of places we could be going.

When she came to a stop, I could see the white kitchen cabinets on either side of her head.  Fulda began slowly lowering me from face level, her strong arm keeping the descent perfectly steady.  On the way down, I finally got a look at what she was wearing once I could tear my gaze away from hers.  She had on a plain white form-fitting tank top that exposed just a bit of cleavage, and black shorts rolled up so they showed off as much leg as possible.   Though it was a simple outfit, it always looked stylish on her, though I could think of few things that wouldn’t.  It was also what she wore when she wanted to relax and feel in control. Was she also nervous?

My feet set down on wood, and Fulda’s fingers unclasped from my sides.  “Ta-dah!” she exclaimed with a smile beaming down at me.  “Welcome to our first date!”  Then she hurried to add, “Well, in over six years.  But it’s been a while, so it feels like our first again!”  The corded muscles in her left bicep started twitching erratically.  She was nervous!

I winced at the loud scrape when she pulled out a chair, then she sank into it.  Fulda leaned forward, causing me to stumble when her elbows hit the top with a pair of quakes.  She had set me down about where a plate would be, so I was entirely beneath her.  Her hands came together, clasping her fingers together like a single fist to keep them still.  When she settled in I looked up at her towering over me, remarkably quiet and still, and she stared down at me, the corners of her mouth twitching nervously.

Neither of us said anything for what seemed like minutes.  The longer it lasted the heavier the awkwardness became, until it felt like Fulda pressing her palm down on me would be a relief.  “So,” she boomed, nervously breaking the silence and shifting in her seat, “I guess we can skip all the boring introductory stuff, right?”

“Good,” I answered, just glad she had said something.  “I was never all that good at small talk.”

“Really?  Because looking at you, I figured you’re great at it,” she replied and laughed at her own joke.  “Sorry.  Let’s start with the elephant in the room, hm?”

“By that, do you mean giving me to your kid sister for six years of torment?”

“Yeah.”  Fulda drew the syllable out for several seconds.  “That.”  She began drumming her fingertips on the table, making a steady series of quick, rhythmic thuds.  “Look, I know that there’s nothing I can ever do to make up for that, or to make it so it never happened, no matter how much I wish I could.  It’s just… I was so angry at you!  I mean, you cheated on me with my best friend the first chance you got, and I kind of freaked out, you know?  I overreacted and punished you in the worst way possible, without even thinking that… well, maybe I had been neglecting your needs.”  Her expression hardened, and she rushed to clarify, “Not that I’m saying what you did was okay, mind you.  You still cheated on me.  But I didn’t handle it well, either.  If I could do it again, I’d just, I don’t know, make you live in my sock or keep you in a jar for a few days.  Anything but… what I did.”

If any part of her had been within arm’s reach, I would have reached out and touched it to comfort her, or at least make some gesture to reassure her.  As it was, all I could do was make firm eye contact with her once her features softened again.  “You know, I thought about that every day Gina held me prisoner.  I hurt you by doing that, and I definitely never wanted to do that.  It was a moment of weakness, and… hell, I’m not going to excuse my actions, I did something shitty that I always told myself I’d never do.  We both could’ve handled it better, looking back on it, but we were just kids, yeah?  Kids do dumb shit all the time, then they learn from it and do better.”

“Youthful indiscretions usually don’t end with someone living through six years of Hell.”

 I chortled and rubbed the back of my neck.  “What I’m trying to say, Fulda, is that I get it.  When I was going through it, I built up so much resentment against you for putting me in that situation, wanted to hate you for it, but I couldn’t.  You couldn’t have known what was going to happen, and by the time Gina’s delusions were obvious, it was too late.  Then you came back for me, took me in, did all this… I know you’re not the same person who did that to me, and I’m not the same person who did that to you.”

Fulda smiled warmly, and it felt like the sun shining on a clear day.  “I know.”  She touched me lightly with a fingertip from behind and ran it up and down my back.  “I’ve given you everything I can, but I still don’t think it’s enough.  You lost time, opportunities, friends, family, all because of me and my fit of rage.”

I turned to the side and put a hand on her fingertip, hoping to calm her down as I stroked the whorls.  “You know the worst thing I lost, though?” I asked.  “Time with you.  For a while, the worst thing about being stuck with Gina was that you weren’t there.”  Gently I patted her finger with my hand.  “We can’t make up for lost time, but… we’re still young!  We’ve got our whole lives ahead of us, and we can make something better than what I lost.”

“R-really?” Fulda stammered.  She was always such a bulwark of strength and confidence, I don’t think I’d ever seen her this insecure.  “You mean you aren’t mad at me?  You don’t hate me for what I did?”  Her finger began stroking me again, and I leaned into it.

“No, how could I?” I answered.  “You’ve more than made up for it, and besides, I could never stay mad at you for too long.  No matter how hard I tried, as soon as you smiled down at me it all melted away.”  A big smile spread across her face and I mirrored it while her finger ran down my side.  “Knowing you’re happy makes me happy, too.”

“I had no idea you felt that way, little guy.”  Her tremendous voice cracked, like she was fighting to hold back tears.  “I’ve been so nervous about this, worried that you would never forgive me, and really, I wouldn’t be able to blame you.  Really, I wanted to do this since you got here, but I don’t think I could handle being rejected by someone not even an inch tall.  After Li pulled that bullshit last night, though, I knew I had to tell you before it was too late.”  We both fell silent, and I nuzzled her finger while she continued petting me.

“So, how about it?”  Her confidence surged back, and she gave me a cocky smirk.  “Want to make it official?  Are you my tiny, itty-bitty, bite-sized boyfriend now?  Again?”

I turned a little and planted a kiss right in the middle of her fingerprint.  “Only if you’re my titanic, monolithic, giantess girlfriend again.”  My arms wrapped around her finger as much as they could, but it was too wide for me to get all the way around.  She lifted her finger and I swung down against the trunk, then wrapped my legs around it as far as I could.

“There’s one thing I should get out up front, though,” Fulda declared, leaving me hanging off her finger.  “I, um. I really like shrinking people, probably more than I should, and I get such a rush when I do it.”  I could see where this was going and began working on a response immediately.  “I’m sure you’re more sensitive to this than I am.  You might even consider it cheating, in a weird way, so feel free to say no.  But are you okay if I… keep doing it?”

I spent a few seconds considering my answer.  “Fulda,” I began, “I want to say I appreciate you asking me, that takes a lot of guts.”  Looking up into her enormous blue eyes, I knew I would never be able to say no to her on anything.  “I know you’re not shrinking them to be your tiny boyfriends, too.”  I’d always been an enabler, even of people’s worst desires.  “And I know it makes you happy.  So as long as you come home and treat me like your tiny boyfriend, I won’t stop you.  Not that I could stop you from doing anything anyway, you’ve got more strength in your little toe than I do in my whole body.”  The thought of her coming home, riding an emotional high after doing it, might have had a little to do with my decision.

Fulda’s eyes lit up.  “You really mean it?” she exclaimed, then made herself calm down.  “I mean, of course, none of them will ever take your place.  You’re my tiny man, and I would never treat them the same as you.”

“Just… try to use it as a last resort, okay?” I asked.  “You’re a fucking powerhouse, you can get people to leave you alone through other ways.”

Her smile did not diminish at all.  “I’ll do my best,” she answered.  That was hardly reassuring, but it was the best I was going to get out of her, and I trusted she would at least make an effort.

Fingers from her other hand pinched around me and easily pried me off the one I had been clinging to.  Blood rushed from my head when she excitedly raised me up to her face again, and I looked around in a daze.  I had never seen her so happy.  It was like I had told her she won the lottery, got a promotion, and was going on national TV all at the same time.  “I’m just so glad you took me back,” she explained, as though she could read my mind.  “All this time I was sure you wouldn’t, that you’d be mad, that I wasn’t good enough for you…”

“We said it earlier, Fulda, but we’ve known it all this time,” I explained.  “We’re perfect for each other.  No other man would want to be under your soles, and no other woman would put me there.  We’re stuck together, for better or worse, and we might as well accept it.  Though it does make it easier that you’re a kind, generous, smart, funny, charming giantess.”

“And you’re a cute, funny, caring, intelligent, and endearing tiny little man,” she replied, giving me a brief squeeze with her fingers.  “There’s so much I want to do to you right now.  And with you.  But right now, I think I’ll start with this.”  Fulda began drawing me toward her mouth, and when the tip of her tongue slid out to moisten her lips I broke out in sweat, remembering what happened last night.  I forced myself to stay calm and quiet, reassuring myself that Fulda wouldn’t hurt me.  We were dating, right?  Then again, she had eaten and crushed many of her boyfriends before, and…

Her lips puckered when I was mere inches from her mouth, and she gently pressed me against them.  It took me a moment to realize what was going on, but once I did, I placed my hands on her lip and forcefully returned the kiss.  Her lips were impossibly soft, like down pillows, and I pressed my face into them, heedless of any possible danger.  Fulda slipped her tongue out and began tickling me with the tip of it, running it smoothly up and down my body.

Reluctantly she pulled me away, leaving me covered in lip gloss and saliva, but I was beyond caring.  This was the best I had felt in my life, and the tingling sensation continued spreading through my body even when she moved me back where I had been.

“Well, now that we’re together again,” Fulda began, letting a sly smile spread, and I sank into the simple pleasure of hearing and feeling her voice, “Want to do something together?”

“Like what?”  It made sense that we’d do things together as a couple now, but I had no idea what.

“Well…”  She was being reluctant, but I could tell she was bursting at the seams.  “Want to play a game?”  From my silence, she could tell I needed more explanation.  “You’re a tiny man who managed to get into my apartment, and I’m trying to hunt you down and squish you.  Obviously I won’t actually squish you, but, you know.  Sound fun?”

“Yeah, I’ll give it a shot,” I replied.  Now it was my turn to hide my excitement.  This sounded very similar to a game we had played before, but now that I had come to accept my situation I was eager to see Fulda in full force as a giantess, and I trusted her not to get too carried away and hurt me.

“Shoes on, or off?”

“Let’s leave them on,” I suggested.  To tell the truth, I had kind of a thing for women wearing Converse, and it was part of what drew me to her in the first place.  One the size of a football field chasing after me could only be better.

Fulda’s blue eyes darted toward a large, open space in the living room, and she stood.  My stomach dropped, but I kept my focus on her face and it wasn’t so bad.  She glanced back to me and asked, “Shall we begin, my tiny boyfriend?”  I didn’t think I’d ever get tired of her calling me that.

Gina tapped her tiny foot on the plastic mat beneath her chair, watching Akane impatiently.  She despised her, from the titanic brown loafers that dwarfed her all the way to her top of her long, straight black hair.  Making her one of the privileged tinies had been a near-fatal mistake, but over the past few months she began to wish Akane had just smashed her when she had the chance.  The life of a shrunken woman did not suit her in the least, and worse, Akane was squandering her opportunity!  Across the room was a terrarium full of tiny people, and instead of lording her size over them she was sitting at a desk writing in her journal.  Worst of all, every day she grew one of them back, undoing all the hard work Gina and her friends had done, and at this rate the tank would be empty in a month.

Fortunately, Gina had a plan to end this madness and retake her rightful place as a goddess dealing out swift and final justice to these tiny people.  For the past three weeks she had been granted an hour of freedom each day to walk around her room.  It was far less than she wanted, and Akane was sure to keep a vigilant eye on her while she was out, but more than she had hoped for.  All she needed was one minute unattended.

Today was the day Gina would get that.  It was more than a feeling brought on by strong desire, but confidence in a plan coming to fruition.  As an unjustly shrunken woman, there was little else for her to do except watch, listen, observe, and plot.  Every week, on this day and around this time, someone knocked on the door.  Maybe they were salespeople, maybe missionaries, but it was all the same to her.  Akane was almost sickeningly polite and she would patiently listen to their spiel – provided, of course, the visitors could get over the sight of an eleven-foot Japanese woman filling the doorway in front of them.

Almost on cue, a loud knock came from downstairs.  Akane’s seat squealed when she turned it, and Gina ducked under the sole of a loafer drifting toward her.  It landed with a thud, generating enough force to send Gina stumbling for balance.  When she steadied herself, she looked up the enormous twin black towers of Akane’s sock-covered shins and calves, only to be met by a pair of black eyes gazing back at her.

“Better get you back on the table,” Akane boomed, leaning toward Gina.  Her hand was already past her knees and quickly advancing on the tiny woman, fingers primed to pinch her off the ground.  As the massive limb drew closer, Gina imagined this was how all of her shrunken victims had seen her.  This was so unfair: it should be her inspiring fear like this!

“I still have twenty more minutes!” Gina protested, steadily backing away from Akane.  It would not make a big difference, but a few extra inches between them might be what secures her return to power.

“You’ll get them back later, I promise,” Akane said.  “For now though, I need you in my hand so I can get you off the floor.”  She was simply too nice to be a giantess.  If their roles were switched, Gina would have just swiped a hand at her to snatch her off the floor.  It might end with Akane smeared across her palm, but every tiny was replaceable.

“Come on, you’ll only be gone a few minutes!” Gina protested, weaving left and right while she backed away.  Anything that could delay the inevitable grab was worth trying.  “What could I possibly get up to in that time?”  She had passed the tips of Akane’s tremendous shoes.  Farther than where she wanted to be, but hardly enough to ruin her scheme.  Not nearly as bad as getting caught, at least.

Right when Akane was about to lunge the knocking came again, louder and much more urgent, like they were pounding on the door.  There was a moment of hesitation while she tried to decide what to do, her hand inching forward and back in indecision.  Finally, her arm went slack and she let out a sigh, blowing strands of hair out of her face.  “Fine!” she exclaimed, pointing sharply at Gina.  “But you better not move a muscle while I’m gone or you’re losing floor privileges.” 

Akane stretched back to her monumental height and strode to the door, closing the distance in two steps.  Gina watched her leave, envious of the great size that would soon be hers, and waited to hear the first massive footfall on the stairs.  At that thud she took off, sprinting toward the folding table beside her closet.  When she heard the front door open she was just leaving the broad plastic platform for the carpet’s rough terrain, leaping over clumps of fibers so they wouldn’t slow her down. 

She arrived at the table’s base, directly below a heavily modified model house.  “Roni!” Gina shouted up, hoping her voice could carry over the distance.  “Veronica, you bitch, get to where you can see me!  We don’t have a lot of time!”  The one uncertainty in her plan was being able to get Roni’s attention.  They had been unable to coordinate due to Akane’s oppressive presence, and for all Gina knew she was asleep right now.  Roni may have even been driven half-mad from months of isolation or come to hate Gina all over again for her situation.

 Muffled voices floated up the stairs.  Akane was doing her best to politely excuse herself, but these visitors were persistent.  “Roni, come on!” Gina pleaded.  “Come to the edge or the window or something!  We can be goddesses again and put Akane in her place, but it has to be now!”  She was getting nervous.  Though she was a trusting fool Akane was not an idiot, and this would be their only chance.

A dot of platinum blond hair appeared in the window above, and Gina almost shouted for joy.  Not only had Roni heard her, but they had line of sight, too!  She began jumping up and down, waving her arms wildly to make herself visible.  “Roni, grow me!” she commanded the woman high above.  “Make me huge, bigger than Akane so that I can easily cut her down to size!  Once she’s dealt with I’ll make you big too and we can lay down the law here again!”

The two stared at each other over the great distance, with Gina impatiently waiting for the room to get smaller.  It wouldn’t take much, and she knew Roni was capable of it: she’d taught her herself, and she had amazing potential.  It was a simple quid pro quo, and if Roni could hear her shouting for attention, she could hear the deal.  A bolt of doubt hit Gina.  What if she could help, but simply wouldn’t?  Had Roni developed Stockholm syndrome?  Did Akane manage to turn her, and now she was a rat?

A shudder ran through the house when the front door closed, and the first footfall from the stairs echoed off the walls.  “Roni, please!” Gina begged, her voice cracking.  The possibility of this not working had never occurred to her, but if it didn’t she would be the size of a bug for the rest of her life.  “We can be big and free again, but I need your help first!”  Another powerful footfall resounded from the stairs.  Akane was tall enough to take them four or five at a time if she wanted, and she was in a hurry.  Three or four more steps and that would be the end.

“I love watching tinies sweat, even when they’re my best friend,” came a tiny, high-pitched voice from above.  Of course, Roni was just fucking with her!  Gina wished she could see her shit-eating grin right now, but over this distance they were lucky to spot each other at all.  “Hold on a sec queen, I’ll get you where you should be.”  Two more tremulous footfalls from the stairs.  Roni had a flair for the dramatic, but there was a time for that and a time for action.

The room, so large and cavernous to her, began to constrict around Gina.  Everything rapidly became smaller, and in no time at all she was looking right at Roni through the window.  It was only a quick flash, however, as Gina continued her explosive growth.  Before the next footfall her head banged into the ceiling, and Gina had to crouch to keep from bursting through it.  Even in a crouch she grew to fill the room, unable to even look up without putting a dent the shape of her head in the surface above.

Akane’s straight black hair concealed her face as she stooped beneath the doorway to enter the room.  She looked so small to Gina now, almost like a child, rather than a behemoth whose very existence threatened her life.  The floor creaked beneath Gina’s knees and feet.  The room might have been expanded to account for her incredible size, but no one had ever thought to reinforce the floors.  Though she would never say she was too tall, Gina had to consider that, perhaps, she had outgrown her room.

When she finally laid eyes on Gina again Akane gasped.  A particularly useless reaction, Gina thought while she stood there stunned.  Whether it was surprise, shock, or mere indecision, all she could do was look at her with wide eyes.  Gina seized the initiative, taking advantage of her new, enormous size, and grabbed one of Akane’s legs.  Her hand nearly ran from Akane’s ankle to her knee, and with a single, quick tug she was on her back.  Reveling in her newfound power, Gina dragged her former oppressor toward her, keeping her leg elevated so she had no chance to recover.

Ordinarily, Gina would have taunted her prey to drive home her dominance, but she could see from Akane’s face that it was apparent already.  She smiled wide, watching the failed giantess shrink in her grasp.  Vengeance felt good, even better than the normal joy of tormenting people smaller than her.  Vengeance for hours of sanctimonious bullshit while she was held captive, for releasing the worshippers she had fairly acquired through force, for thinking she was better than her, for keeping her prisoner.  Watching Akane become physically insignificant filled what was left of Gina’s heart with warmth.

The increasingly smaller woman reached the point where only her shoulders touched the floor, and suddenly Gina stopped shrinking her.  Maybe her insufferable lessons about mercy and forgiveness had gotten through her head, or she was simply thankful for not being smashed immediately so she could exact her revenge.  Regardless, Akane was small enough for her now.  She would no longer pose a threat, and Gina had thoroughly established her control.

Casually Gina tossed her away and smiled at the thud her body made when it hit the floor.  She was not sure how big either of them were now, but she would be shocked if Akane even came up to her knees.  Though she could not bring herself to fully shrink her, this might end up being even more satisfying.  Akane would be her servant until she got bored of her, and when that happened there was no chance that she’d just go free.

“Hi there, Akane,” she boomed.  Her voice sounded unusually powerful, even to herself, and she knew she could use it to great effect.  “Before you get up, let’s establish some ground rules.”  She had missed being in control so much it was like missing an arm, and once she had it back it went right to her head.  “First of all, you’re mine now.  End of story.  If you leave this room for more than five minutes you better have a damn good explanation, and if you walk out the front door at all you’re fucked.  Got it?”  Akane hurriedly nodded her head, not knowing what Gina would do if she refused.  “Second, if I catch you so much as talking to those tinies, let alone growing them back, you’ll rejoin them right after.”  That was so clear Gina didn’t even need a response.  “Third, and this ties back with the first, but whatever I say is law.  I’m a goddess, after all, so if I tell you to do something, you do it, and you ask me if you have even the slightest doubt.”  It felt so good to be in charge again.

Akane agreed to her terms, but what choice did she have?  If she refused a single one, Gina could bring the fury of an enraged goddess down upon her as a best-case scenario.  That much she had expected since Akane was weak and passive to a fault, even when she was enormous.  The mere idea of conflict where she’d have to struggle was enough to get her to fall into line, and Gina exploited that perfectly.  From now on, the threat of being crushed without a second thought should be enough to keep her in line.

“Hey!  What about me?”  A tiny voice, barely more than a squeak, reached Gina’s ears, and she turned to the table she had nearly knocked over during her tremendous growth.  A small dot of platinum hair still stuck out against the window as Roni practically begged for her attention.

Gina easily punched through the roof of her makeshift house, then probed the floor until she found something warm.  Her finger pressed the tiny, warm body against the wall, then her thumb came in to secure it.  Roni was unbelievably puny in her grasp, almost negligible, and when she brought her up to her face she was little more than a speck against her skin.  Nevertheless, she had promised to help her, and she would never make such a kindred spirit feel inadequate.

“Veronica, you fucking goddess, I’d never forget about you!” Gina proclaimed.  Her voice might have hurt the temporarily embarrassed giantess, but she was too excited to care.  “Give me a sec and I’ll get you off my fingers and back to towering over the unworthy.”  As much as she wanted to take all the power for herself, Gina recognized that she had made a promise to Roni, and she intended to honor it.  Besides, being a power-crazed deity was so much more fun when you had a partner in crime.

Gina carefully lowered her hand to the ground, then brushed Roni off with her thumbnail.  She kept her eyes on the tiny dot as it bounced over the carpet, concerned that if she looked away she may never find her again.  With a grin Gina increased the miniscule woman’s size, gleefully watching her expand from nothing.  When she stopped Roni was hunched over as well, struggling to fit inside the room as the floor groaned beneath her weight.  Though she was not as enormous as Gina, she was definitely larger than Akane, and that was all that mattered.  Hell, they were both over ten feet tall, so if they wanted to blow their cover they could go on record as the tallest humans ever.

For now though, they were both crouched in Gina’s room hoping the floor didn’t give way beneath them.  They had attained sizes previously unimaginable for people, and struggled to fit into a world designed for those smaller than them – even though it had already been modified for them before.  “Let’s take this outside, shall we?” Gina said, considering their situation.  “Once we figure out how to get there.”

I dove forward just as the mammoth Converse slammed down, just avoiding being flattened under the brown rubber sole.  Fortunately, I was still in the air when the shockwave spread from its impact, but the crack of rubber on wood made my ears ring.  When I landed I rolled forward, not missing a step as I sprung right back into a sprint.  Without a glance back I continued at full speed, trying to get as much distance between us as I could.  A shadow would tell me when the next strike was coming.

“Get back here, little man!” Fulda roared.  “You’ll never be able to outrun me!”  She was right, of course.  In more ways than one, I was like an ant trying to escape a bored teenager.  All I could do was keep running while I looked for some place to take refuge and avoided getting smashed by her colossal feet.

I hopped from one floorboard to the next, deftly avoiding the ditch between them.  A shadow appeared around me, rapidly dwindling as her shoe rushed toward the ground.  It started right where I stood and spread over the ground in front of me, and I brought myself to a sharp halt.  She was trying to lead me now, stomping where she expected I’d be, but I’d run from giantesses enough to read their moves.  If she wanted me under her shoe, she’d have to do better than that.

As expected, her foot crashed down just in front of me, and I hopped prior to the impact.  I kicked off the ALL STAR, each letter almost twice my size, and used the rubber as a springboard for another jump.  Fulda dragged her shoe back in an attempt to knock me off-balance, but I met her foot with mine and used it to my advantage.  A couple steps on the black canvas as it bulldozed me and I was in a controlled fall along her instep, ready to take off running again the instant I touched down.

Fulda had chased me all the way from the kitchen to the living room, a vast distance of ten yards that had taken me nearly half an hour to cross.  At first she treated it as some light-hearted fun, lazily swinging her feet in my general direction and bringing them down well away from me.  As it progressed, however, she became more aggressive, acting like it was a real competition.  Her feet landed closer to me, with more force, and were coming at a much faster rate.  Years of constant conditioning meant I could keep at this for a while, but as the saying goes, I needed to be lucky every time, while she only needed to be lucky once.

I passed by the black leather cliffside of a couch on my right, with a matching chair on the left.  Furniture meant that Fulda would be more restricted, but it was hardly the end of the pursuit.  Despite her massive frame she could fit through the canyon easily, though she could only come at me from one side.  Plus, herding me here may have been part of her plan.  She’d always been as smart as she was strong, and she was not above trapping me.

A glass-topped coffee table stood like a mesa in the middle of a dark blue rug, its sides low enough that she would have difficulty swinging her feet after me.  My first impulse was to run directly at it, but my instinct was tempered by experience.  I had seen too many people flattened when they dashed for the first bit of cover, and Fulda had probably used that trick in her sorority days too.  If I were going to act so predictably, I might as well give up now.

Once I was past the couch I made a sharp turn toward it, running along its base.  Her Converse’s white rubber tip flew past where I had been like a wrecking ball, its sole as close to the floor as possible without scraping it.  Exactly what would have gotten me if I had gone in a straight line.  The small gap beneath the couch was inviting as I passed before it, but that was another common pitfall.  Those were always choked with dust, and Fulda could easily lift it and come get me; all I’d be doing is giving myself a dead end.

Just a few more inches and I would be in the right spot to scurry under the table.  My feet pumped as hard as they could and the wood grain zipped by, all of it blending together.  Her legs may be fifty times as long as me, I told myself, but size was only part of the equation.  I was small and crafty, like a fly, and could easily maneuver around her gigantic feet.

The second before I broke left, an enormous shadow covering my path made me think again.  A tremendous shoe swung down where I would have been, its slap alone making my vision blur.  I stumbled from the tremors emanating from the impact like a sudden, short earthquake, and had to lean against the rubber wall to regain my balance.  This was an unfortunate setback, but nothing I couldn’t overcome.

Fulda laughed, causing a disturbing rumble to filter down to me.  “What now, you puny bug?” she taunted.  “I’ve got you trapped.”  To demonstrate her point, when I reached the toe of her shoe she took a half-step forward, moving the barricade with me.  Either she didn’t know that I would barely have to stoop to fit under the couch, or she counted on me trying it as a last resort.  Regardless, I knew better, and still had a trick up my sleeve.

I pushed off my right foot, jumping toward her shoe, and snagged my fingers on the top of the rubber.  Quickly I clambered up until I was standing on the white wall, then braced myself against the canvas.  It would be a steep climb, but I’d done worse, and it should only take me a few seconds.  My feet dug into the rough black material, pushing me up while my hands dragged me.  There was no obstacle I couldn’t overcome with a little perseverance, the largest shoe I’d ever seen included.

The ground suddenly disappeared, and I tumbled down a sheer black cliff.  I bounded off it a couple times before tumbling along a curved white surface, finally landing in a heap on the floor.  I looked up, dazed from the fall and stunned by the sudden turn of fortune, while Fulda smirked smugly.  From here she was more skyscraper than woman, a steely titaness who had triumphed over her quarry.

All my poetic visions were destroyed when she set her heel back down and her gargantuan foot loomed over me.  I marveled at its tremendous size as brown rubber blocked my whole field of view, the diamonds on her sole alone larger than me.  With a heavy gulp I admitted there was no way I could get out from under it in time, and Fulda had finally won.

Slowly the all-encompassing shoe lowered toward me, commanding even more of my attention.  It seemed to stretch forever in every direction, like it was the whole world.  The sole of Fulda’s shoe seemed to grow longer, wider, with each passing second, while I felt no more significant than a dust mite.  If it were upturned, I could travel it like an explorer on the sand dunes and never find the edge.  Then it pressed against my chest, yanking me back to reality.

“Gotcha,” Fulda declared triumphantly.  She let her foot linger over me while she laughed, as though physically dominating someone a thousandth of her size was an accomplishment.  In a flash the sky was clear of the brown rubber menace, and a thud rippling through the floor told me it had set down some distance away from me.  Her monolithic body rotated shockingly fast, and leather crumpled beneath her when she flopped onto the couch.

“Not bad, little dude!”  One of her terrifically long legs swung over the other, letting a humongous Converse dangle in the air above me.  She idly kicked her toe in the air, causing her leg to swing back and forth, while she continued, “Don’t take this the wrong way, but we would’ve had a lot of fun hunting you at a party.  You’re smart and fast, we probably would’ve given up and gone after easier prey after a bit.  Hell, next time I might even go at half speed so we can really have some fun.”  That was her holding back?  For the past ten minutes it really seemed like she was trying to kill me!

A cacophony of leather stretching rang out, and her icy blue eyes peaked over the edge.  They snapped toward me, and a long red braid fell in front of her shoulder.  “You know, though.”  Like someone had flipped a switch, she went from cocky to sultry.  “Our date’s not over.  Why don’t you join me up here and see what happens?”  Her hand was already reaching down for me, and her long, rough fingers pinched my sides.  She plucked me off the floor, and before I knew it I was standing freely on her thigh, just below her knee.

“It’s no accident we ended up here.”  Fulda’s low, powerful voice traveled through her body and into mine, making my insides quiver.  Every aspect of her was gigantic, and I couldn’t get enough of it.  “I was chasing you, sure, but I encouraged you this way for a reason.”  She pointed at the table, and I turned to see a bottle of red wine standing on it beside a single glass, with a thimble and eye dropper lying at its base.  “Join me for a drink?”  I was in no position to refuse, and besides, I wanted her to have her fun.

Fulda leaned forward far enough that I couldn’t see anything aside from her bulging white tank top, then she surged forward, slamming her chest into me.  For a brief moment I was pinned, and in the sudden shock I panicked, squirming and already trying to wiggle my way free from the tremendous weight.  After a few seconds it was gone, however, and I was left to thrash aimlessly on her thigh.

She grinned at my pointless flailing, then began pouring herself a glass.  Wine rushing out of the bottle’s neck sounded like a waterfall to me, splashing into the glass basin in her hand.  By the time she was done it looked like a dark red swimming pool, and the irony of me being this close to such a relatively immense volume of wine was not lost on me.  Many people would give up a lot for it, but if they knew what I had to go through they’d think twice.

Fulda took a long sip from her glass, exaggerating the motion as she swallowed.  “This is some good stuff, dude,” she declared, bringing it down to rest in her lap.  I could see some purple build-up at the corners of her mouth already.  She dipped the eyedropper into her glass and pulled out a few milliliters, then squeezed them into the thimble.  “Am I your sugar momma, then?” she asked, smiling as she handed me the thimble.

I took it in both hands, and just then realized she was giving me a bucket full of wine.  “Um, Fulda?” I began nervously.  “I’ve never had alcohol before, and this seems like a lot.”  In high school I had tried to be a “good” kid and stayed away from it, and Gina never let us have booze.  We were lucky she remembered to give us water, to be honest.

“Then I suggest you drink slowly,” Fulda suggested, taking another long drink from her glass.  “Or quickly, to get it down faster.  You’re a lightweight, so I hardly think it matters.”

I took a tentative sip from the metal vessel in my hands and cringed.  Somehow it was both sweet and bitter at the same time and had a faint aftertaste of fruit.  It wasn’t very pleasant, but I still felt good after drinking it.  Fulda took another long drink out of her glass and, not wanting to disappoint her, I took a pull of the same length out of my bucket.

We went back and forth, trying to match each other for drinks, until Fulda emptied her glass.  There was another torrent of liquid rushing out while she filled her glass halfway, then a thud when she set the bottle back on the floor.  With her glass refilled, she looked down at me standing on her leg and gave a cocky grin, then took a short sip.

“We really missed out on a lot,” Fulda started.  She swung her legs up and to the side, knocking me over so I had to use the thimble she gave me for support.  When the whirling movement subsided she was laying across the couch, propped up against an arm while her feet reached the opposite end, and I had been forced into a desperate tumble until I landed on her shorts.  Surprisingly little of my drink had spilled out while I settled into the black creases around me.

She swirled her wine glass while looking down and watching me get comfortable in her lap.  Her striking face was just visible above the ridge of her breasts atop the incline, with lips drawn tight in a pensive expression.  There was a hint of sadness in her wide eyes as she considered me on her.  The ground shifted a little when she crossed one ankle over the other, then began tapping one of her enormous shoes against the couch.

“I went to college and had the time of my life, and you…” Fulda trailed off.  The subject still made her uncomfortable, but for a different reason than it did me.  “Well, I wish you had been with me for all of it.  The good and the bad.  I know that if you had been with me this whole time you’d have made it all along, and we’d have an even stronger connection than we have now.”  She practically chugged the rest of her glass, tipping the last drop into her mouth before setting the stem back on her tummy to be refilled by another gush of liquid.

I drank deeply from the thimble in my hands, but unlike her I couldn’t kill the whole glass in one draught.  A warm, dizzy feeling had already overtaken me, and I looked at the world around me in an altered state.  Everything seemed to glow a bit brighter, a little fuzzier, in my view, as I looked from one of Fulda’s shoulders to the other, trying to rectify my altered state with the tremendous reality above me.

“You don’t have to keep apologizing,” I told her.  My mouth felt strange, looser than usual, with a slight tingling sensation.  When I spoke, my tongue seemed wider and more difficult to control.  “I’m here now, aren’t I?  Maybe we can’t make up for the lost time, but we can enjoy what we have.”

“I know, I just feel so terrible about it.”  Fulda took another long drink, sending half the wine down her throat, and reached down to me with her other hand.  She set a single massive fingertip on my shoulders and rubbed it back and forth, touching me just hard enough to make sure I knew it was there.  Between that and her leg slightly bobbing every time she tapped it, I was constantly reminded that her power can be subtle, too.  “There were a lot of firsts that, looking back, I wish I’d had with you.”  Another gulp and her glass was empty, and she promptly began refilling it.

I rubbed her finger back and sipped from my bucket of a thimble.  “Oh yeah?” I challenged, feeling a little flirtatious.  “Like what?”

She pushed my arm back down and began running her finger along it.  “Life stuff.  First drink, first big party, first time in Europe.  They’d have been more fun if you were there.  Plus, you’d have been like my little secret.  My tiny boyfriend, going everywhere with me, sneaking you into places.  It’s cute.”

“Let’s not dwell on the past.”  How I wished I could forget mine, then maybe the nightmares would stop.  “You’ve been nothing but wonderful since you came back for me, and I like to think about all the amazing stuff we’ll get to do now.”

Fulda smiled, then gave me a firm tap.  “Sometimes I think I don’t deserve you.  If I hadn’t shrunk you, some other lucky girl would’ve snatched you up by now.”

“What if one had?  Or tries to now?”

“Oh, that wouldn’t go well for her,” Fulda purred.  “I’m the jealous type, you know.  Any woman tries to take you away from me will be spending a lot of time in a jar at the very least.  As for you… well, I’d have to remind you why you stuck with me in the first place, wouldn’t I?”  Her enigmatic smile only made me more curious what she would do, but I decided to leave it alone for now.

Evening turned into night, and I gradually emptied the thimble while Fulda gulped down several more glasses.  I tried to stand up but my legs didn’t work the way they should, and I went tumbling down the rest of her leg onto her crotch.  She giggled and gave me a quick tap, then said, “I think you’re a little too drunk to have much fun in there right now.  Don’t worry though, you’ll get to go spelunking soon enough.”  Though I was thoroughly hammered, I easily understood what she was getting at.  However, she was right: there’s no way I’d be able to do much right now.

Unable to even stand, I laid on Fulda until I passed out, the warmth of her body enough of a blanket for me.  She must not have wanted to disturb me since she slept there too, in almost the exact same position, for the whole night.  For once I had a pleasant dream, I think, of me curled up in Fulda’s hand while she played with me.  For once, my future was bright.

Gina bowed her back inward, cracking every vertebra with a delightful pop.  She had been hunched over or resting on her hands and knees for the past two days, and it felt good to stand to her full height again.  The solution was so simple, she couldn’t believe it took her so long to think of it.  If she can shrink houses, like the ones she had placed in the terrarium, she ought to be able to grow them, too.  Now the house was almost twice its original size, and she didn’t have to destroy it to get out.  Her parents would be delighted when they came for their next bi-annual visit – if they weren’t flabbergasted by her own size.

“Now what?” Veronica asked.  Though she only came up to Gina’s shoulders, they both knew that she would be tremendous compared to any other person.  “We can get out, but like… where should we go?”

Gina took a half-step toward her dresser and pinched a drawer open, causing Julie to jump out of the way of the titanic foot.  She had been wearing the same clothes for almost five months, and it was time for a change.  With a single hand she pulled out a “fresh” outfit to put on.  It was the exact same as what she had on, except it was clean and the stockings weren’t riddled with holes.  “First, we get a shower and a change of clothes,” she said, tossing a set of Veronica’s clothes to her.  “I don’t know about you, but I feel absolutely filthy after all that time as Akane’s prisoner.”

“Prisoner?” Akane repeated.  “Is that what you think…”

Gina gave her a rough shove into the wall, making her see stars.  “Was I talking to you?  Didn’t think so.”  She leaned down and flicked Akane’s forehead, making a loud thud.    “Mind your own fucking business if you want to keep what little bit of size you have left.  Now, be good while your masters go and freshen up after how you treated them.”  As she walked past she feinted toward Akane, making her flinch backward.  Being feared again felt good, too.

Unfortunately, only the frame of the house had grown; all the fixtures were still normal size.  The two could only wash one body part at a time, but rinsing off all the accumulated dust and grime felt amazing.  They spent nearly an hour scrubbing themselves down, washing and conditioning their hair, getting their skin moisturized again.  When they emerged from their showers they felt like new women and carried themselves like the goddesses they always knew they had been.

When they were both dressed in their fresh outfits they met at the top of the stairs.  Their golden hair shined brightly, and Veronica’s bright red running shorts were a startling contrast to Gina’s short black ones, though they both left over ten feet of leg exposed – bare in Veronica’s case, wrapped in form-fitting black nylon in Gina’s.  The sleeves of Gina’s black shirt just reached past her elbows, while her counterpart’s dark blue one was bereft of sleeves altogether.  Both of them had enormous feet, though while Gina stayed with her familiar black flats Veronica had made a new pair of Adidas running shoes suitable for her size.

“Fuck, that does feel better!” Veronica exclaimed when she reached the top of the stairs.  “I didn’t realize how much crap had built up on me.  But what do we do now?  If I remember right, your three itty-bitty friends should still be lost in the carpet somewhere.”

“Yeah, and what about them?” Gina asked.  “I’ll get to them in good time, Akane can look out for them.  Or step on them by accident, I don’t really care.  I’ve got more important things on my mind.”

“Like what?”

“Revenge.”  A sinister smile spread across Gina’s face while she looked toward the door.  “I’ve been trapped here all this time and not a single person from school came looking for me.  Shit, you’ve been missing for two years and I haven’t heard a peep from anyone looking for you!”  Of course, she conveniently left out that she had been the one originally keeping Veronica prisoner.  “Don’t you want to go make people remember who you are, and make them pay for their apathy?”

“Sure, of course I do,” Veronica began, though she sounded uncertain, “but won’t people notice a pair of twenty-foot-tall women walking down the street?  We sure as hell won’t fit in any cars.”

“I’m counting on it,” Gina replied, still sporting a devilish smirk.  “It’s part of the deal.  The fear slowly building while we approach and they realize how big we are, and that they could never escape us.  I want them to notice us, to either run or be paralyzed by fear, by their awe of us, until we make it to them.  Then… well, the tank’s been looking a little empty since Akane’s reign of terror began.”

That offer scratched the itch that Veronica just hadn’t been able to reach.  Though her time as a would-be goddess had been short, she loved every second of it.  She was naturally very tall to begin with, and would sometimes imagine the people she humiliated at track and field meets as literally in her shadow as much as they were metaphorically.  The ability to make that a reality went a long way toward redeeming Gina in her eyes.  It would be the first time she actually made someone puny with her own power, so she could watch them dwindle down to almost nothing.

“Now that I think about it, yeah, it has.”  Veronica was totally convinced to go along with Gina now.  “I bet everyone on the track team would recognize me, I set so many records.  Let’s go make sure they never forget my face as long as they live.”

“And I’ve got a bone to pick with the basketball team,” Gina added.  “Well, several of their bones to pick my teeth clean after I devour them.  Let’s go, I just made myself hungry.”  The pair of impossibly tall women stomped their way down the stairs and ducked through the front doorway, then got on their way toward meting out vengeance.

* * *

The two of them strode along a road, each taking up a lane with their tremendous gaits.  Gina breathed in the fresh air, listened passively to the birds singing in the trees, and marveled at how even the tallest cars didn’t even make it up to her waist.  Most of them barely even cleared her knees.  She even towered over some houses, to her extreme delight.  Why didn’t she make herself this big years ago?  Scratch that, why didn’t she make herself even bigger?

Veronica decided to be a lot more active and demonstrative with her size.  She plainly dwarfed the cars parked along the street, and with a brief running start she bounded over one from fender to bumper.  Her long legs easily cleared the roof and her sneakers soared over the hood ornament so that she landed on the asphalt with a loud thud.  “Ha!  Still got it!” she exclaimed, then stood back up.  All the time she spent conditioning herself had paid off.

“You’re such a show-off, Roni!” Gina teased, not even breaking her stride.  “Can’t you just enjoy towering over everything while we’re on our way to wreak havoc?”

“But I am!” Veronica replied.  “I can long jump over cars, I couldn’t do that before!”  She dashed forward again and leapt over the next car, landing with even more clearance.  “I bet if I were just a bit taller, I could get over houses!”

“I bet you could!” Gina agreed.  “I’d rather not have to grow the house again just yet though, the neighbors might have something to say about that.”

“Then let’s get rid of them, too!” Veronica offered.  “Why should they stand between us and being huge?”

“One target at a time, Ron!”  It was an unusual fit of self-control for Gina, but she wanted to stay focused on her revenge for now.  Ambition could come later.  “We’re almost at the school, and I promise you, you’ll feel plenty big soon.”  Though nobody could stop them physically, she was still hesitant to openly talk about their activities.  People might get suspicious if they heard two enormous women talking about shrinking people shortly before a few dozen people disappeared.

Sure enough, they crossed the street to the school’s track not even a minute later.  The team was out practicing on a sunny day, and could not ignore the heavy, thudding footsteps of two enormous women approaching.  Instead of running in fear like Gina and Veronica expected, however, they turned and looked at them with eager anticipation.  They excitedly whispered amongst themselves while the pair approached, craning their necks back looking more and more surprised.

When they stopped at the edge of the shotput pad, the team had formed up in a semi-circle gawking up at them.  A couple of them might have reached Gina’s knees, but most fell well short, and she and Veronica looked down at them contemptuously.  “Oh shit, it’s Gina!” one of the runners exclaimed.

“And is that Roni?!” one of the seniors shouted, pointing up at her.  “I thought you were dead!”

“I thought Gina was dead!”

“And they’ve both had a hell of a growth spurt!”  It might have been a while since either of them had been seen, but no one remembered them being quite this gigantic.

“Yeah, we sure did,” Veronica replied, casting a downward gaze over all of them.  Her voice was a good bit deeper than the last time anyone had heard it while retaining some feminine qualities.  “And we’re about to have another one.”  The team went back to gossiping, wondering how she knew it would be coming on – and how she could possibly get taller.

Veronica looked over each one, and as her glare passed from one to the next they began to rapidly diminish in size.  By the time any of them knew what was going on the first had already been reduced to an inch, and the others were too scared to move.  They could only watch while Veronica became even more massive, her gigantic body stretching further into the sky.  When their drastic shrinking was done they would have been dwarfed by her big toe were it not contained within a shoe.

The crash from Veronica taking a step forward broke them out of their trance, but it was too late.  They began running when she knelt in the middle of the concrete circle and swept an arm wide, palm open, along the pad’s edge.  She collected each one in her hand, stacking one on top of the other, until they were all in a pile in the middle of her palm.  Veronica closed her fingers over the dozen or so track team members, sealing them inside an enormous fist, before returning to her superhuman height.

“Are you happy now?” Gina asked, noticing Veronica’s radiant smile.

“Yes, I am,” Veronica answered, feeling the tiny bodies writhing in her hands.  “I could be happier, though.”  A lot of them were completely innocent in her abandonment, but that was beside the point.  She wanted tiny people to play with, and now she had them, no matter how flimsy the excuse was.  It’s not like Gina ever needed a reason.

“Let’s get you happier, then,” Gina said, pointing to a large white building in front of them.  “The basketball teams should be practicing right about now, and not a single one of them came looking for me.  Plus, they must be terrible without me and my old crew, not a single one of them could dunk.  Let’s go even up my score.”

Veronica gave the tinies in her hand a light squeeze, pressing them together.  Tiny wails of pain filtered out between her fingers, making her smile even wider.  “Yeah, let’s” she told Gina.  She wanted so much to see more people shrink until they were naught but puny insects, even if she wouldn’t be the one doing it.

They set off across the field toward the gymnasium, stepping over the track with just one long stride.  Even though nobody could see their approach, that would only make their sudden appearance more surprising.  One moment they would be practicing, and the next they’d have to deal with an enormous pair of women looming over them.  Gina imagined the surprise on their faces while they gawped up at her and already felt a sense of satisfaction at her dominance.

Unfortunately, the door proved to be a more potent obstacle than they had expected.  Gina’s knees were about even with the top of the frame, and the only way she would be able to open the door was by prying at the handle with her fingernail.  Even if that worked, there was no way she’d be able to fit through it.  This door had been built for someone of relatively normal size, and previously she’d had to double over and contort her body to make it through.  Now there was no way she’d be able to squeeze her enormous frame through it, and she was not yet strong enough to simply break through the walls.

“I’ve got an idea,” Gina announced.  She was about half as tall as the building, and she ought to be able to fit it in one hand if it were the proper size.  It was entirely separate from the school building as a whole, so reducing just the gym itself shouldn’t be too disruptive.  “I think the terrarium’s about to get a new building, if you’re willing to help me a little.”

“I’d love to,” Veronica said, stepping to the corner beside Gina’s.  They closed their eyes and focused their energy on the gym, whispering under their breath and visualizing it getting smaller.  Reality changed to match their imaginations, and over the course of ten seconds the building vastly reduced in size, shrinking its hapless occupants with it.

When they opened their eyes, the gym stood in the middle of a massive patch of dirt and dead grass, no more than four inches tall.  Gina strode forward, and her thundering footfalls were the first sign anything was wrong to the basketball teams practicing.  Before any of them could escape, Gina leaned forward and wrapped a hand around the building, blocking the exits with her fingers.  She squeezed her palm, crumpling the aluminum walls, and yanked it out of the ground by its foundation.  Although she was perfectly capable of palming it, she brought her other hand in for support in case she lost her grip.

“That enough revenge for you for now?” Veronica asked, giving her prisoners another light squeeze.  She didn’t want to smash them quite yet, but hoped they would be very uncomfortable.

“Yeah, I’m good,” Gina confirmed.  “Let’s get these tinies back to the house so we can properly introduce them to the others.”  They spun on their heels and walked back to Gina’s house as though nothing at all had happened.

I was in bliss for the rest of the week.  Now that Fulda and I were officially dating again a tremendous amount of tension had been removed from her condo and we could fully embrace what we had been too scared to ask for before.  While she was gone at work I was more comfortable wandering around peeking at her things, and when she came home I rushed to the door – though of course, I left room for her enormous feet to stomp through.  She even pulled my tiny house into her room, and at night she let me sleep on her tummy so the steady rise and fall with her breathing could lull me to sleep.

That Friday, she set us up on a double date.  Fulda got a new set of clothes for me to replace the ones Li ruined, and after looking at myself in her compact I must say, I looked snazzy.  We had arrived a few minutes early as usual, and Fulda set me down on the stark white tablecloth beside a saucer the same height as me.  While I gazed up silently at her from the table, I couldn’t help but think that my luck had finally turned around after everything awful that had happened.

As usual though, I was a mere spark for her shining beacon.  Her hair was up for once, and her brilliant blue eyes were especially bold with dark eyeliner and long, fine eyelashes, while her lips gleamed under pink lipstick.  She wore a sleek black dress with spaghetti straps over the shoulders and a plunging neckline that prominently displayed her cleavage, to the point there was a clasp in front to show off more.  Silver bangles slid up and down her forearms as she moved them, and the shade of her fingernails matched her lips.  At my request – not that she needed much pushing – she had on a fresh pair of black stockings, and she let me help fasten the straps on her pair of elegant six-inch heels.

“Fulda, hi!” a voice called out.  “I haven’t seen you in, like, three hours!”  Fulda rocketed out of her chair and turned to face the voice, then clapped her arms around someone much smaller than her.  She picked the newcomer up as though they were nothing, then vigorously shook them.

“Mia, glad you could make it!” Fulda exclaimed, dropping her back to the floor.  Out of all her friends, a double date with Mia was the most palatable.

Once she recovered, Mia walked to the other side of the table, while what I presumed was her boyfriend followed closely behind her.  She sat down and pulled her chair in, then said, “This was supposed to be a double date, though?  I know you’re enough woman for three people, but where’s your boyfriend?”

Fulda pointed down at me in front of her.  “Right there!” she proclaimed with a broad smile.  I turned and waved up at Mia.  She adjusted her glasses, then her eyes went wide and her mouth became a perfect circle.  Mia gesticulated wildly while trying to come up with something to say, overwhelmed with excitement.

“That’s him!” she squealed.  Then, remembering they were in public, she clapped a hand over her mouth and started again, much more quietly, “It’s him!  Your little roommate!  I knew you’d make a great couple, and he’s so cute!  Oh, but I’m forgetting my manners.  Little guy, this is Jesse.  Jesse, this is Fulda’s tiny room- I mean, Fulda’s tiny boyfriend.”  We waved at each other, then let the women get back to it.

Mia leaned forward, shaking the table when her forearms set down against it hard enough to make me stumble.  “So, Jesse and I have been talking about that… thing I brought up last time we hung out,” she began conspiratorially.

“You mean me shrinking him,” Fulda said plainly.  She leaned back in her chair and took a sip of wine.  “And?”

“Well, he’s willing to try it, but he had some questions for you,” Mia answered.  “But since your tiny boyfriend’s here, he can probably answer them himself!”

“Well then, go ahead and ask him.”  Fulda gestured toward me, smiling.  “He’s the expert on being shrunken, after all.”

“Oh yeah, of course.”  Mia put a hand on her boyfriend’s shoulder and looked down at me.  “Well, I guess you’ve already answered whether we’d still be able to date if he shrinks, since he’s here and all, but um, how’s the uh…”

“Sex life?” Fulda finished for her.  She moved her fingers in front of me defensively and continued, “We still have a very physical relationship, if that’s what you mean.”  I always marveled at how she could be technically correct and answer a question while still leave so much out.  “And we both have an awful lot of fun together.”

“That’s good to hear,” Mia said, grinning.  “Hear that, Jesse?  We’ll be able to have all the fun we do now.  So, what do you do all day?  I mean, you’re too small to really do… anything.”

I laughed a little and answered, “Well, you’re kind of right.  Most days I explore Fulda’s condo.  It’s really big, and I don’t think I’m even halfway done!  But I think, with the right accommodations, I could do pretty much any thing I could before.  It really isn’t boring though, being this size is constant excitement, especially when Fulda gets home.”

“And what about you, Fulda?  Are you okay with him just hanging around while you’re out?  Is he not, like, a burden?”

“This little guy?” Fulda asked in surprise while thrusting a finger at me.  “He couldn’t be a burden, look at him!  He barely eats anything, and he could live in my shoe if he wanted, it’s basically like living alone!  Except for the companionship.”  She gave me a tender look and rubbed my back with a finger.  “It’s a joy having him around.”  I leaned into her finger, digging my back into it.

“Well, it does look like he’s enjoying himself,” Mia started, “and you two clearly still adore each other.  I guess a lot of stuff you already told me the other week, and most other things we’ll have to work out ourselves.  Do you need a special place to live?”

“For a while, yeah.  I still have a separate house where I can hang out, but since we made it, well, official, she moved it into her room and I sleep on her belly.  So, I guess it helps, but I don’t need one.”

Mia gave a long nod, then turned to Jesse.  “Any more questions, sweetie?”

“Yeah, a couple.”  His voice was surprisingly similar to Mia’s, even at this size.  “If I do it and don’t like it, could you grow me back again?”

“Sure, I could.”  Fulda was unusually chipper about that.  “If you survive the giantess Mia’s wrath, that is.”

Jesse brushed off the last bit as a joke, though I knew she was deadly serious.  “Would I have to be as small as him?  I’m willing to try this, but – and no offense, dude – he’s really small.”

“You wouldn’t have to,” Fulda replied coyly.  “I could just make you an inch shorter than her and leave it at that.  But if you’re going to do this, why not jump all the way in?  See how you like the extreme, and then scale it up from there to find where you’re most comfortable.”

He thought about it for a moment, then gave a small nod.  “Yeah, I’ll give it a shot.  When do you want to do this?”

Fulda pushed her cleaned plate away.  “We can do this right now, if you want.  No time like the present, right?”

“I think we’ll be by tomorrow,” he answered.  “I’d like one more night with Mia at full size.”

“Suit yourself.”  Fulda pinched me between her fingers and pulled me from the table to her bosom.  “We’re gonna head back to my place and get up to some fun.”  She pressed me against her exposed cleavage below the clasp, then shoved me into it with a finger.  Her hands adjusted her breasts so that I would be comfortable before she turned and walked away, and I was bounced gently with them as she walked.

Once the door closed, Fulda dug her fingers into her cleavage and clawed me out, practically tearing me from between her tits.  She pressed me into her palm and raised me up to her face, then fixed me with a heavy-lidded gaze.  Her lips tugged to the right in a smirk and she purred, “I love you, you tiny little man.”

“And I love you too, you huge, beautiful giantess.”

“The night’s still young.”  The world scrolled by while she walked, and I bounced in time with her gait.  “Up for a little more fun?”  She raised her eyebrows while gazing down at me, and I inferred what she was getting at.

“I’m up for whatever,” I said, trying to hide my excitement by being aloof.  Whatever she was thinking, I knew it would blow my mind.

“Mmm, that’s what I like to hear.”  With a lazy underhand toss she threw me into the air, and I landed in the middle of her soft, dark blue bedspread.  She kept walking toward her bathroom, the steady click of her heels strangely reassuring.  Before she closed the door, she called back over her shoulder, “By the time I come back, you better be ready.”  The door clicked shut, leaving me alone with a light coming from a lamp on the nightstand.

She certainly hadn’t learned subtlety in the time we were apart.  I took my jacket off and tossed it to the side, then kicked off my shoes so they would land a bit away.  Hurriedly I snaked out of my pants, then practically tore off my shirt and threw them to the side as well.  Figuring they’d get ruined anyway, I slipped off my socks and boxers and put them in the pile of my discarded clothes.  Stark naked, I patiently watched the door for Fulda to come back.

The door opened again, and Fulda posed in the doorway, leaning against the frame while crossing her legs at the ankle.  With one arm behind her head she searched for me on the bed until she spotted me, then gave me the same heavy-lidded gaze as before.  She had removed her dress and jewelry, leaving her with just stockings attached with garters to a bustier that covered her crotch with a satin band.  I thought she looked like a goddess, though I wasn’t sure of what, and I got hard just looking at her.

Slowly she crawled onto the bed, making the mattress sink toward her.  One by one she slid forward on her hands and knees until her face was right above me, looking down.  “Good to see we’re on the same page,” Fulda said, her voice like a massage on its own.  “At least we’ll get to have one first together.”

“Am I the first tiny man you’ve fucked?” I asked, not sure how to play this cool.

“Not just tiny man.”  Fulda leaned forward until her nose touched my chest, then she kissed me, getting lipstick all over my body.  “Bigger men don’t really do it for me, to be honest.  They’re all worried about themselves, and I don’t find them all that attractive.  You, though.  You,” she leaned in and kissed me again, “are,” another kiss, “absolutely,” smooch, “positively,” kiss, perfect.”  She laid a big, long one on me, sliding her tongue up and down my naked body while her lips were pressed against me.

She pulled away, standing on her knees.  Fulda looked down at me, naked and fully erect and covered in her saliva, while I gazed up at her looming above.  From the dual towers of her stockinged lower thighs past the small bulge where they gave way to smooth, taut skin, to the satin band over her crotch already showing spots of moisture I was amazed.  I continued up, over her flat stomach and hourglass waist where her hands rested, to her mountainous breasts smushed together so they appeared even larger.  Over that her sculpted face stared back at me with wide, slightly maddened eyes and a playful yet smug smile.

“You gonna climb up here, little guy?” she teased.  “Or do I have to bring it down to you?”  Climbing up her thigh was about the only thing she could add to tonight to make it better.  I immediately leapt to my feet and sprinted across the bedspread to her knee, holding my dick to keep it from flopping around.  My hands gripped the black nylon mesh, and I took a long, intoxicating look up the enormous tower of her thigh.

I scrambled up Fulda’s leg as quickly as I could, feeling like all the times Gina made me do it under penalty of death was just training for this moment.  My hands and feet moved on instinct, even with my dick dragging along her stocking.  In no time at all I crossed over the elastic band onto her bare skin, each push upward dragging me a fraction of an inch closer to her pussy.  Her skin was so soft and smooth that every few seconds I had to pause and thrust against the warmth, making myself somehow even harder.  Despite the delays, I made it there sooner than she expected and slid my hands into the satin strip, letting myself swing away from her thigh and dangle off her crotch.

While I swayed, trying to scramble up, Fulda chuckled hard enough I felt the vibrations go into my hand and through my body.  “Get in there already, little man,” she urged, “there’s even a red carpet laid out for you.”  She may have been even more eager for this than me.  I heaved myself up and crawled into her bustier, getting soaked with her juices in the process.  With some effort I crawled forward until I was at the base of her pussy lips and turned myself over so I could look up her vagina, making her shudder.

I began climbing up the lips of her pussy, gradually making my way in.  The walls became slicker as I ascended and the muscles contracting, bringing me to a stop while her vagina smushed me.  Each time they retracted the mucous was a little thicker, making the climb harder, but I persisted.  My dick only got harder as I went further in and the contractions got stronger and more frequent, so I could only surmise she was getting more aroused too.  A shudder ran through her body, so I must have been getting close.

By the time I got to the clitoris I was practically swimming, but I made it.  I wrapped myself around the beach ball-sized nerve ending and the colossal body I was inside shook, and I knew I was in the right place.  Slowly I began thrusting away at it, sliding my dick against its outside.  The cavern vibrated and I breathed in deeply just before a gush of liquid hit me almost washing me out of her vagina.  Despite the force I kept my grip, eliciting a long moan from Fulda as I continued pumping.

There was a brief respite before another deluge of juice hit me, and I clung to her clit even harder.  She let out an even longer, deeper moan, and I felt like I was near the end.  I came, spurting a thick, constant stream of semen against her clitoris for about half a minute.  By the time it was over I was completely drained, and the next stream dislodged from inside her pussy and washed me out.  The crotch strap of Fulda’s bustier caught me and held me against her taint while I leaned against the satin from exhaustion.

While I recovered, Fulda snaked a pair of fingers into my refuge.  She hooked her index finger around me in a pinch and pulled me out, giving me a blast of fresh air.  With a free finger she wiped my face clean enough for me to see while she carried me toward her face before setting me down on the colossal, heaving ridge of her bosom.  I laid there weakly, letting her juices drip off me and slide down her breasts while we both gasped for breath.

She was the first to speak, making my dick twitch again.  “That was amazing, little man.”  Her voice was low and hoarse from heavy breathing.  “I’m so glad I waited for… you.  It wouldn’t have been the same with any other tiny man or… a large one, for that matter.”  Despite her bliss, she sounded a little disgusted with the last bit.  It seemed like she really did have a thing for shrunken men exclusively.

There was only one thing I could think to say in response.  “Fulda,” I gasped between breaths, will you marry me?”  Her eyes went wide, and as I looked into her deep, dilated pupils I felt the need to elaborate.  “We already live together, we know we’re the only ones for each other, we get along great, we’re crazy hot for each other and, well, you’re just crazy hot…”

“Stop talking, little man,” Fulda said, picking me up from her chest.  Slowly she pulled me toward her mouth, letting me linger in front of her lips for a moment while she silently studied me.  This was it.  I had finally pushed her too far, and she was going to devour me for my impertinence.

“Of course I will,” she whispered, then puckered her lips to give me a big, long kiss, running the tip of her tongue up and down my naked body.  “I love you, little guy.  Of course I’ll marry you!”  She clasped her fingers loosely around me and brought me back down to her chest, then drifted off to sleep.  Soon after, lulled by her steady breathing, I joined her in the land of nod.

We were woken up by Fulda’s phone repeatedly pinging with text notifications.  She groaned and reached over to grab it, making me slide over her breast and into her cleavage.  With another moan she sat up so her back was against the headboard, then pinched her fingers around to pull me further up in her cleavage.  I stirred in her grip, and she said, “Morning, little boyfriend.  Or should I say, little fiancé.”

Fulda held up her phone, and I saw that we had slept in until a little after ten in the morning.  Below that was a wall of notifications, a series of texts from Mia at the top of a bunch from social media platforms.  With the swipe of a finger she opened them and got to reading while I followed along.  Apparently, Mia was swinging by in about ten minutes, and she was bringing Jesse with her.  It was no mystery what they were coming for.

“Shit, we better get ready,” Fulda declared, setting her phone down on the bed.  She pinched me between her cleavage and pulled me out, then leaned over the side of the bed.  Her hand pulled the roof off my house and she set me down inside, then put the roof back on.  Springs squealed under her weight, followed by a loud crash and the whole house shaking.  Footsteps made the shaking continue and I heard drawers sliding open and slamming shut, making my trip down the stairs fairly dangerous.

I threw on fresh boxers and a pair of socks while the seismic activity continued outside.  It was easy enough to find a shirt that fit, and I pulled on a fresh set of jeans that were a bit snug.  Fulda was just sitting back onto her bed while I was slipping on my shoes, and I had the laces tied before she even dropped the bustier back to the floor.  Quickly I ran my fingers through my hair to make sure I was presentable and ran outside so I could watch her.  It beat the hell out of sitting in the house waiting for her to come get me.

By the time I got around the corner enough to see her, Fulda had already pulled on a low-cut red blouse that matched her hair, with sleeves going down to her elbows.  She stood, still wearing the same stockings from the night before, and stepped one leg into a skirt.  It was halfway up her leg before the other one got in, and she pulled it snugly around her hips and waist.  Her cheeks puffed up while she looked around for her shoes, then realized they were along the bed by my house.

Fulda took one step, bringing her around the bed with a quake, then took another.  Her heel set down right in front of me with a thud, and her foot started swinging down.  “Fulda, look out!” I shouted, but it was too late.  The soft sole of her stockinged foot set down on me, pushing me onto the hard wood floor.  I felt her weight shift, pressing down harder on me while she bent down to grab her shoes.  Mercifully it did not last long, and she lifted her foot off me once she made her selection.  Unfortunately, I was stuck to the nylon.

The bed squealed under Fulda’s weight, and the gaping mouth of her black Converse appeared below me.  I came unstuck from her stocking and fell into it just as Fulda began sliding her toes into the shoe.  She tilted it downward, making me slide down the insole toward the toes.  Her foot was halfway in when she stopped with a loud gasp.  Quickly she withdrew her foot and turned the shoe upward, dumping me onto her palm.

“Oh shit I am so, so sorry,” she said, poking me with a finger.  “You’re okay, right?  Please tell me you’re okay, please tell me I didn’t smash you.”

“I’m okay,” I croaked, reassuring her.  “A little bruised, but the softest part of your foot landed on me.  I’ll be right as rain in a few minutes, promise.”

Fulda leaned forward and gave me a quick peck with her lips.  “Okay, good.”  She felt so relieved she was smiling.  “I’m so sorry, it’s just, I thought you were in your house and I could walk around without looking out for you.  If I’d known you were out on the floor I would’ve been more careful!”

“Don’t worry about it,” I replied.  “I’m fine, and accidents happen.  I’ve spent a lot of time under someone’s foot.  I just thought it’d be more interesting to watch you get dressed than wait in the house for you.”

“Just as long as it’s not the last accident.”  A loud buzz from the other room interrupted her.  “Fuck, they’re already here.”  Fulda wrapped her fingers loosely around me, just enough to keep me from falling off her palm while she walked.  She rushed to the intercom, her bare feet sliding on the wood so she ran into the wall.  Her other hand pressed the button and she asked, “Mia?”

“Yep, it’s-a Mia!” came a chipper voice through the speaker.  “I’m here with Jesse, can we come up?”

“Sure, I’ll buzz you in, door’s unlocked.”  Fulda pressed a button, making a loud buzz, then I felt a rush as her hand soared through the air.  I heard a light thud, then her fingers opened, depositing me onto the kitchen table.  Her hand withdrew from me and she rushed back into her room to grab her shoes.  “Sorry!” she called from her bedroom.  “This is just so sudden and unexpected!”  A loud bang as one of her enormous feet slammed onto the floor.  “I expected we’d have more time to snuggle before she stopped by!”  I didn’t bother to respond since she wouldn’t hear me, but I appreciated the thought.

Fulda hurried back from her room, stomping hard enough with each step to make the table rumble.  She plucked me off the table just when the doorknob began to turn, and clutched me to her breast when it swung inward.  Mia, Jesse, come in!” she called, turning toward the door.  “I’m so glad to hear you decided to go through with this!”

“Well, Mia seemed so excited about it, I figured why not, you know?” Jesse said.  “It’ll just mean there’s more of her for me to enjoy.”  He exhaled in a long sigh.  “Ready when you are.”

“Okay, but first I have some big news,” Fulda replied.  She opened her fist, displaying me for them to see.  “Last night the little guy popped the question and I said yes!  He’s not just my tiny boyfriend anymore, he’s my tiny fiancé!”

“Oh, I’m so happy for you!” Mia exclaimed, rushing forward to embrace Fulda.  She was careful not to shake her too hard on account of me, but it seemed unlikely she could do much to move the towering woman she was gripping.  Mia stepped back, bouncing on her heels for excitement, and asked, “So when’s the wedding?”

“We haven’t set a date yet,” Fulda answered.  “There are a lot of details that we haven’t worked out, really.  But that’s between me and him.  You’re here for a different reason!”  She turned her attention to Jesse.  “You’re absolutely sure you want to do this?”

“Yes, I’m positive,” he answered, giving a confident nod.  “I want to see Mia in all her glory.”

“Okay, but be ready,” Fulda warned him.  “Everything’s about to get a lot bigger, and it can be scary for a bit.  And I suggest you close your eyes, the process can be disorienting.”  He did so and Fulda took a step forward so she could look straight down at him.  She breathed in deeply and focused on him, working the magic in her mind.  In a flash he was all but gone, reduced to around an inch tall at her feet.

Fulda plucked me out of her palm and bent forward, lowering me to the ground.  She set me down beside Jesse and let go, then stood back to her enormous height.  This was the first good look I had ever gotten of him.  He was a little taller than me and rail-thin, with shaggy, sandy blond hair and pale skin.  His clothes looked like they were a size too small for him, a problem he was not likely to have much in the future.

“All right, open your eyes!” Mia commanded, and he did so.  At first his light brown eyes were on me, then he looked behind me.  And up.  Real far up.  His jaw dropped when he saw how enormous Fulda was not, and he made a little squeak as he tried to find words but couldn’t.  He began to faint so I reached out and caught him, stopping his head from slamming against the floor.  Luckily, he remained conscious, but his eyes kept fluttering while he tried to process the world at his new size.

Fulda had been trying to calmly ease him into his new size so that he’d have time to get used to it, but Mia had other ideas.  She raised her foot high and stomped it down beside us as hard as she could, making a terrific crash while the floor rattled in her wake.  We stumbled into the leather toe of her flat, and Jesse looked like he thought the word was about to end.  While he screamed I looked up at Mia, who seemed to think it was the funniest thing ever.

“What the hell, Mia?” Fulda shouted, giving her friend a shove.  “You could’ve hurt them!  That’s your boyfriend and my fiancé down there, remember?”

“Oh, relax!” Mia replied non-chalantly.  “Jesse knows I’d never hurt him, and if I hurt your fiancé, I’d be hurting you too!  Definitely don’t want to do that.”

Fulda let out a loud, long sigh.  “It’s just not cool, okay?” she said.  “You don’t have to treat him like he’s made of porcelain, but don’t act like you’re going to stomp on him out of nowhere, either.  If you want to do it as part of a game it’s fine as long as he agrees, but you have to understand how much bigger you are than him now.  You really can crush him, even if you don’t mean to.”

Mia looked down sullenly at us.  “Hey, I’m really sorry about that, little guys,” she apologized.  “I promise I won’t do it again.  Unless you want me to.”  Jesse was clearly in no rush to go through that again, and I wasn’t exactly eager.  She pulled her foot back a bit and nudged him with her toe, at least showing that he had not been rendered catatonic by her joke.

She bent down and pinched Jesse between her thumb and forefinger like Fulda had shown her, then picked him up from the floor.  Mia held him in front of her glasses for a moment and stroked him with a finger before dropping him down her shirt.  “Well, I guess we’ll get out of your hair now,” she said, walking to the door.  “You two love birds have a lot to do, now that you’re engaged.  Seeya!”  Her hand pulled the door shut behind her, and Fulda waited a second before locking the door after her.

“I just don’t know how to get it through her head that she can’t do shit like that,” Fulda complained, taking a step back.  “Again, sorry.  I didn’t know she’d do something that stupid and put you in danger.”

“Hey, I’ve been through worse,” I replied.  “And we’re both still in one piece, so no harm done!”

“Yeah, I guess,” Fulda agreed.  After a bit she began, “So, I’ve been thinking.  You really do need something to do while I’m gone, and there’s only so much of my place to explore.  You could also do with a way to contact the outside world so you have someone to talk to besides me, and a smartphone would knock out both of those.  I trust you won’t call someone to come rescue you?”

“Rescue me from what?” I asked.  “My dream girl fiancé who showers me with love and attention?  Yeah, I’m really suffering here.”

“That’s what I thought,” Fulda smugly retorted.  “Why don’t you come join me on the couch so we can talk some more?”  She walked toward the sitting area and I ran after her.  I could never pass up an opportunity to climb her, especially when she was wearing stockings.  This just might end up being the best weekend of my life.

Gina burst into her room, Veronica close behind her heels.  She held the shrunken gymnasium sideways with her fingers covering the exits, making sure none of the hapless inhabitants could fall out or get to their phones.  The wiggling in Veronica’s hand had died down as her captives either accepted their fate or simply ran out of energy.  There was still the occasional twitch against her fingers while they fought for the most comfortable spots, but with her constantly changing grip those were always shifting.  It was more than Gina had to deal with.  Her victims’ tiny screams barely even pierced the aluminum, let alone made it up to her ears.

Much to Gina’s satisfaction Akane was sitting on the bed, reading one of the books she kept on the shelves for show.  Not only had she not made a break for freedom during her absence, but she had been reduced to reading, of all things, and not even from something that would make her more powerful.  It was some book about a French count that Gina couldn’t even remember where it came from, let alone the last time she contemplated reading it.  Her feet didn’t even dangle below the sideboard, which Gina found hilarious.  She was so small now that she was basically a toddler compared to her.

Gina moved to the terrarium, not even a full step from the doorway anymore, and practically tore off the lid.  She slapped the tiny gym onto the floor so hard that it crumpled under the force, and her fingers dented the side when she squeezed the tiny structure.  Walls popped out of their joints when she tightened her grip, further deforming the pale yellow structure.  The tiny people inside must have been terrified, a thought which gave her an immense amount of satisfaction.

With the slightest bit of effort Gina wrenched the wall free from the structure, exposing its tiny inhabitants to the big world outside.  She clenched her fist, balling up the wall into scrap before tossing it to the side while her victims looked up at her in awe.  Casually she tossed it to the side then turned her attention back to them, cupping a hand around the shell they clung to for safety.  A single flip of her wrist turned it upside down, spilling the shrunken people onto the floor.  Gina set it back down with the gaping hole pointing toward her, making sure none of them could get back inside until she allowed it.

Veronica followed close behind and dumped her handful of a dozen tiny people beside the gym.  They landed in a pile, some of them wounded from their comrades falling atop them, but Veronica could not have possibly cared less.  Using her index finger she broke the pile up, spreading the tiny people around.  Some of them were completely still while others fought impotently against her tremendous finger, but after a couple of seconds they were all spread out on the floor for Veronica’s choosing.

Gina considered the lid tossed so carelessly onto the ground.  For years she had been adamant it remain on top of the terrarium, and for what?  The walls were smooth as physically possible, and the tiny people imprisoned by it weren’t strong enough to ascend the sides, even if they were healthy enough.  The only thing she had done was make it harder for herself to reach into the enclosure, and at her new size it would be impossible.  It was a tight squeeze before, and now it was doubtful she could get more than a couple of her fingers through the gap.

The pair stood beside the terrarium, looking down, while its rim barely even reached their waists.  Its inhabitants looked even punier than before, like ants when they had previously been beetles.  It took them a second to realize that, while they and the house had grown to twice their previous dimensions, the terrarium and its inhabitants were stuck at their old sizes.  Growing all of them back would take too much time, obviously, so they decided to make the most of what little they had.

“So,” Gina began, her deep, powerful voice grabbing the attention of every miniscule person below her, “Who do you think you’ll start with, Veronica, Goddess of justice and punishment?”

The blond giantess’s blue eyes scanned her recent additions until she found the mite dressed slightly differently from the rest.  “I think I’ll go with the one who was best equipped to help me over the past three years,” Veronica said.  “Coach Robbins, you’re still here, right?”  An involuntary twitch confirmed her suspicions, and one bug began trying to scoot away from the rest of the circle.  That was enough for her, and she smirked while it tried to squirm away from her view.

Veronica reached into the glass enclosure, and no matter how quickly her quarry scuttled away her fingers easily found him.  Carefully she pinched her fingers around the puny body between them, making sure to apply just enough pressure short of popping him before he could endure the proper torments.  She raised the clenched digits to her face, and the only evidence something was amiss was a tiny, squirming thing between her thumb and forefinger.

“Well, coach,” Veronica began, making the insignificant man in her grip cringe, “how many other stars disappeared without a trace in the fifteen years you’ve been in charge here?”  Some pathetic squeaks filled the air, but they were too insignificant for her to understand.  Veronica knew they were nothing more than excuses, anyway.  “Just me, right?  And yet I never heard a thing about anyone trying to find out what happened to me after all these years.”

A flurry of high-pitched squeals answered her, though they died off when she drew the coach closer to her lips.  “I can only hope you’ll get the same amount of attention I did.”  Veronica’s lips parted, giving rise to another uproar of wailing.  This time it was cut short when she shot her tongue out, striking the puny morsel with the enormous pink tentacle.  Her tongue snapped back into her mouth and she closed her lips behind it, sealing her victim inside.  He struggled for a moment while she dragged him along her palate, but he gave up quickly enough, and she flicked his limp body onto her gullet.  She waited a bit for him to do anything to try and escape, but it was like he was already dead.  Eager to get the show on the road, Veronica opened her throat and sucked the coach down her esophagus to perish in her stomach.

With Veronica’s first target gone, Gina bent in half at the waist so her torso loomed over the tiny people gathered in her aura.  She continued slowly bending forward, lowering her chest and head into the tank.  Directly below her were the pathetic remnants of the school’s basketball team, just as confused as if they’d actually had to play a game.  None of the ones here had received a boost to their height from Gina, so they would normally be average height at best.  Now they were all an inch high.  Though Gina imagined how funny it would be to release them onto the court for a game, she knew she could have much more fun with them herself.

“Hey there,” Gina began, her lips dominating the quintet of shrunken women at her mercy.  “How’s the season going without me?  Probably not great, huh?”  Her confident, mocking laugh robbed them of any possible response.  “Yeah, you might as well be this size to the other teams.  Kind of feel like I might as well save you from any future humiliation of having to play right now.”  She grinned while the other basketball players cowered in fear, and she knew she had won.

Gina leaned over at the waist so that she could loom over the tiny village she had assembled in the terrarium.  She stretched over the whole opening and ended up bumping her forehead against the wall.  Being this tall would take some getting used to.  Quickly she adjusted, curving her back sharply so her head plunged into the tank.  It was easy for her to find the yellow aluminum building again, and the basketball team was still huddled in front, unable to move out of shock and fear.  For a moment she drank in their terror with her eyes, relishing the effect she had on what you could charitably call people.

“I bet you’re all wondering why this is happening to you,” Gina postulated, and the tiny people flinched from the tremendous power of her voice.  Their tiny yelps and screams encouraged her, and she continued, “I’ve been held prisoner in my own room for five months, and not a single one of you thought to come and check up on me?  I’d be disappointed in you all if I weren’t so angry, and I never had any expectations of you to begin with!”

“But we did!” the boldest one protested.  Her puny voice barely reached Gina’s ears, but her pathetic pleas were clear.  “As soon as we noticed you were gone, we talked about having someone go see how you were doing!  Shelby volunteered, and she just said you were sick with something but didn’t want everyone to know.”

“And over the next several months it didn’t occur to you once to send someone else?” Gina asked.  “That maybe Shelby was lying and I needed your help?”

“No!” the spokesperson answered, her voice somehow even more shrill.  “I thought you were, like, best friends!  Why would she lie about you being in trouble if you’re besties?”

“Because,” Gina began, “it turns out that Shelby’s a huge bitch.  Well, not so huge anymore, just like you’re not really huge fuck-ups anymore even though I still wouldn’t trust you to cover a little league team.”  The high-pitched squeals of a retort started, but Gina cut them off.  “I bet you were glad when I disappeared, weren’t you?  The spotlight was finally yours with me out of the picture, and even if the team sucked out loud you could still say you were captain.  The truth is, you were more than happy to let me languish as long as it helped you.  Can’t say I’ll give you the same courtesy, though.”

Before they could react, Gina’s tongue shot out, catching the bulk of the team on the long, pink appendage and ensnaring them in her saliva.  Gina let them futilely writhe around on her tongue, knowing they couldn’t free themselves but loving the feeling of their infinitesimal movements on her supple skin.  They were entirely at her mercy, and she wanted to let that sink in.  No one was going to save them, just like no one saved her.

Gina slid her tongue back into her mouth, and she was careful to make sure none of them got scraped off by her lip.  Their squirming intensified in the dark, saliva-filled environment, although they had nowhere to go.  She let them struggle for a few seconds before slamming her tongue against the roof of her mouth.  No doubt some of them were killed by the impact and even more stunned, but she didn’t see that as a negative.  Slowly she dragged her tongue back against her palate, scraping the tiny would-be basketball players off so they would float freely.

The tiny particles drifted around Gina’s mouth, occasionally buffeted by her tongue while she played with them.  Before too long, either out of sheer exhaustion or admitting defeat, the shrunken women of the basketball team sank into the depths of Gina’s frenulum where they came to rest.  She flattened her tongue over them, then with a thick stream of saliva swished them back and forth inside her teeth.  Gina concluded by depositing them back onto the tip of her tongue and let them come to an unsteady rest amid her taste buds.  Then, with a simple flick, she tossed them onto her gullet, and with the least bit of effort dropped them into her throat.  They were beyond all detection inside her stomach, and it would not be too long until Gina forgot she even ate them.

She and Veronica looked over the other tiny inhabitants of the terrarium, but they were appropriately afraid of them now and any further efforts would be wasted.  Besides, they had gotten their revenge, and that was what mattered most to them.  They exchanged a look of mutual satisfaction, then turned away from the prison they had constructed.  There was a lot left for them to do, and they could come back to the tank later.

A squeaky, nagging voice came from the floor and grabbed Gina’s attention.  “Didn’t you learn anything from your time at that size?” Akane asked.  “Just because they’re smaller than you doesn’t mean they’re less worthy of respect.  You had no reason to kill them, and you still did!”

Gina brushed the small Asian out of the way with her shin, throwing her into the wall.  “I guess I didn’t,” she replied, “or I just don’t care.  Anyway, if you’re done with your mewling, Roni and I have a lot of work to do.”  Akane rubbed the back of her head where it hit the wall but said nothing, knowing that she was powerless to stop Gina, let alone her along with Veronica.

Several days later I was back on the floor, hopping between the boards while I explored the corner of Fulda’s condo farthest away from my little house.  It had taken me a couple hours to reach it, but it was one of the few places I hadn’t explored yet.  There wasn’t anything too fascinating there, just the large, round base of a bronze lamp that was too smooth for me to climb well, but that was what I had expected.  Fulda kept her floors immaculately clean and uncluttered, and in all my time exploring I hadn’t found anything exceptionally interesting aside from a quarter.  I simply needed something to keep me busy while she was gone.

A thud from the door grabbed my attention, followed by keys jingling.  It was only around noon, and Fulda always took a lunch with her so she wouldn’t have to deal with a mid-day commute.  The sound of a key sliding into the lock and click of tumblers sliding into place confirmed that it was her.  With a groan the door opened inward and Fulda stepped through the doorway, slightly modified to fit her enormous frame.  Her heels clicked with her steps on the floor, and I could feel the tremors from her feet even where I was.

She took a moment to look around her feet before raising her head.  “Where are you, my tiny fiancé?” she called out in a sing-song voice.  Despite how deep and powerful it was, her voice was remarkably gentle.  “I’ve got a big surprise for you!”

I dashed toward her, scurrying around the leg of the couch.  “I’m over here, Fulda!” I called out, hoping my voice could reach her.  Somehow, she’d never had any trouble hearing me before, but I was usually within her arm’s reach.  This was like shouting at someone almost a quarter mile away, and I was rather quiet even before shrinking.

Despite my hopes, it was still a surprise when she looked right at me.  Fulda’s eyes lit up, and she exclaimed, “There you are!”  She was still wearing her clothes from work, which I understood was a fairly upscale design firm.  Her black knee-length skirt was immaculate, and her white blouse was smooth despite billowing above the waist.  The dress code requiring high heels was surely not implemented with her in mind, but I got to see her happy little smirk every day when she slid her gigantic, stockinged feet into a pair of three-inch pumps.

Fulda stepped quickly, crossing the distance between us in only a dozen steps.  The rumbling double-taps from her footfalls grew louder and more intense as she came closer until her toe struck the ground beside me, sending a tremor up my body so powerful it made my teeth rattle.  She knelt, making a loud thud when her knee hit the floor, then reached a hand down for me.  Her warm, tender fingers pinched around my body, and she gently plucked me off the floor when she stood back up.

Slowly Fulda lifted me to her face so I would stay comfortable, carrying me past her smiling pink lips and stopping when I was between her sparkling blue eyes.  Her skin was radiant; she hadn’t stopped beaming since the first time we had sex.  “I guess it’s two surprises, really,” she said in a bubbly tone.  “But I know you’re going to like them.”

“More than getting to see you in the middle of the day?” I asked, brushing her index finger with my hand.

“Cheeky,” she replied, and the skin around her eyes wrinkled when she smiled.  “Three surprises, then.  Here’s the… second one, I guess.”  Fulda held the middle finger of her free hand in front of me, presenting a small black rectangle balancing on the tip.  She moved it within my reach so I could grab it, and declared, “It’s a phone!  Your phone, now.  I was thinking about what we were talking about at dinner the other night, and how you don’t really have anything while I’m out, so here you go!  And you can take really high-res pictures of me, of course.  I’ll help you get it set up when we get back.”

“Is where we’re going the third surprise?”

“See, that’s why I like you,” Fulda answered, stroking me with her free hand.  “Sexy and smart, in one tiny little package.  I’m taking you along for some wedding planning – specifically, the certificate.  I’ve been handling a lot of the stuff myself since, frankly, most of the guests will be mine and they’ll be the ones enjoying the ceremony.  But for the certificate, it might be a little difficult to do alone because…”

“I’m still technically missing and presumed dead?” I offered. 

“There’s that, yeah,” she said, sounding like that had taken her off-guard, “and they’ll need your signature on it, even if it’s a little too small for them to read.  I suppose we should resolve the whole ‘missing person’ thing while we’re out too, seeing as how you’re going to be online and everything soon.”

“Well then, when did you want to go do it?”

“Since I took a half-day at work for this, I was thinking now if that’s not too inconvenient for you.”  She nuzzled me with the tip of her nose and turned her hand over before dropping me into her palm.  Her fingers curled around me in a loose fist and she lowered it down to her side, keeping me snug and secure against her while she walked.

While she traveled Fulda played with me in her grip, nudging me with a finger or giving me a light squeeze every couple of minutes to keep me engaged.  I appreciated that she was keeping me on her mind and did what I could to return the favor, nipping at her fingers as they pulled away.  The early spring air’s warmth was intensified by her body heat, but I liked her carrying me more than riding in her purse.  Being surrounded by her skin was much more intimate than a small leather pouch.

Vibrations from her voice reached me before the muffled sound of her words filtered through her fingers.  “Excuse me, I’m here to apply for a marriage license,” she declared, and I surmised we had arrived.

I heard some soft rustling coming from outside that concluded with some paper being slapped onto wood.  “Here’s the form and pen,” a voice somewhat higher than Fulda’s succinctly replied.  “Is your partner going to be joining you soon?”

“He’s already here,” Fulda responded, and the rush of movement overwhelmed my body.  Tremors ran through her fingers accompanied by a bang from her knuckles hitting wood, and the floor fell out from beneath me.  I landed on a sheet of white paper and Fulda withdrew her hand back to her side.  On the other side was a thin, towering woman wearing a yellow jacket, her blue eyes magnified by large, round glasses.  Her dirty blond hair was clipped against the back of her head, and her lips were covered with bright red lipstick.

“Ma’am, please remove your toy from my desk,” she said, looking down at me in front of her.  Her expression was impassive, as though she dealt with this sort of thing every day.

“He’s not a toy,” Fulda began, doing her best not to sound offended, “he’s my fiancé!”

“A government office is no place for practical jokes, ma’am,” the clerk replied, gripping a pencil by the sharpened end.  “If you truly believe you’re engaged to this I suggest you leave my line and seek mental help.”  She jabbed the pencil’s eraser at me, and I just barely dodged to the side before it shoved me off.  Her thumb still hit me and pushed me along with her thrust, sending me careening away when it stopped.

“Hey!” Fulda protested, placing a hand on the desk’s edge behind me as a backstop in case I needed it.  “I’ll thank you to not shove my fiancé, and I doubt he appreciates it either!”

Before the clerk could say anything else, I decided to speak up.  “I’m not a toy, a doll, or anything else!” I shouted at her when I regained my footing.  “I’m a man who just happens to be an inch or so tall, and I just happen to love the woman behind me!”

The clerk’s mouth opened in a small, quiet gasp, and she quickly covered it with a hand.  “That really is a tiny man!” she exclaimed, slowly lowering her hand.  “And you,” she pointed at Fulda, exaggerating how much she had to look up, “are getting married to him.”  She pointed directly down at me with a hand looming right overhead.  Apparently, the whole situation as a bit of a shock for her, and she was trying to talk her way through it.

“Yeah, that’s right,” Fulda replied confidently.  She leaned forward, emphasizing how much she towered over the clerk, and looked at the dainty hand over me.  “If there’s nothing wrong with that, I’d like it if you moved your hand away from him.”

“Oh, yes, of course.”  She jerked her hand away like she had just touched a hot stove and shoved it below the desk.  “I deeply apologize ma’am, I meant no disrespect, it’s just more than a little unusual for…”

“I realize that some aspects of our relationship are non-traditional,” Fulda interrupted, practically hissing through her teeth, “but I assure you that our relationship is no less real or valid than any other couple you’ve stamped the certificate for.”  She was doing an amiable job of hiding her rage, but I could tell the only thing keeping her from leaping over the counter was the risk of hurting me in the process.  “If you could just show us where to sign so we can move on, please?”

Not wanting to put her foot in her mouth anymore, the clerk simply pointed to the lines where we should sign.  Fulda briefly picked me up and carried me to my field before setting her hand down on the page to draw her long, swooping signature.  An instant later the pen vanished from her hand, then she was holding it out to me, suddenly appropriate for my size.  I took it from between her fingers and made my own tiny scribble just above the line and handed it back to her.

“And what date will your ceremony be on?” asked the clerk, nervously adjusting her glasses.

“Hm.  You know, we hadn’t really talked about it.  Any preference, little guy?”

Looking up into her beautiful, crystal-clear eyes, I could only think of one day.  “Let’s have it on the anniversary of the most important day of my life.”

“Are you sure?” she asked.  “That’s barely a month away.”

“Positive.  We want a small ceremony, a little subdued, just through it quickly, right?  I’d marry you right now if that’s what I thought you wanted.”

Fulda smiled broadly enough to show her large, white teeth behind her lips.  “It’s settled, then.”  She told the clerk the date we had just decided upon – six years to the day after she had shrunk me – who dutifully scribbled it down.  Before she could snatch the certificate away Fulda announced, “Before we go, we have one more issue to resolve.”

The clerk stopped in the middle of snatching the sheet away from under me.  “And what else can I help you with?”

“My fiancé is officially a missing person and has been for years,” Fulda began.  “I guess if people can’t easily see you, they write you off as missing or dead.  Think you could get that cleared up for us?”

“Well, it’s not normally what I do,” the clerk started, “but as a way of making amends, I’ll get that resolved for you.”  She looked down at me, a little uneasy with the situation still, and asked, “Can I get your name, social security number, and last registered address?”  I gave her the information, and she dutifully typed it in before piping up, “You’re all set!  Your fiancé exists again, and you’re officially registered to be married.  Is there anything else?”

“No, you’ve been a great help to us already,” Fulda answered, plucking me up from the counter.  While she settled me back into her hand the clerk pulled the certificate away for filing.  Fulda gave me a light, encouraging squeeze before dropping me back to her side.  The steady, smooth swing of her gait comforted me on the long walk home.

Later that day, we were finalizing the guest list and making invitations.  Just as we expected it was a very short list, only about ten people, populated by members of Fulda’s family and sorority who hadn’t consciously tried to murder me along with Mia and her newly-shrunken boyfriend.  She wrote her name in wide, elegant loops before I scribbled mine, barely even legible to someone of a more common size.  Fulda helpfully had the instruction to use a magnifying glass printed below where I was signing.

When we were done there were a couple of invitations left over.  “Is there anyone you want to invite?” Fulda asked.  “I know you haven’t really talked to anyone outside of that horrible tank for years aside from me, but is there anyone you really want to be there?”

I thought it over for a second.  Most of my friends must have forgotten I existed by now, and my family would be shocked to suddenly find out I had resurfaced and spend days demanding to know where I had been, why I hadn’t contacted them, etcetera.  “There’s one,” I declared at last.  “Akane.  We wouldn’t be here now if it weren’t for her, right?”

Fulda smiled broadly and exclaimed, “Wow, yeah!  That’s a good one!  Okay, I’ll put her down.  Anyone else?”

Everyone I wanted to invite who wasn’t already going to be there was dead.  “No, that’s it,” I answered.  “Unless you want to invite Gina.”  Fulda simply shook her head with that same amused smile and filled out the last invitation.

Gina looked down at the terrarium by her feet, one of the few objects she hadn’t grown along with herself and Veronica.  It was dinky, small enough to fit in her hand if she wanted to pick it up in its entirety.  Even though it was no longer practical for her to play with the shrunken people inside, she had added two new buildings to it after the gymnasium.  Under cover of night, she and Veronica had gone out and acquired the neighboring houses, taking them and their inhabitants as trophies.  They were just dressing on top of the real prize, however.  With the houses gone, they were free to expand the house – and themselves – to over twice their previous size.

A small, mouse-like voice reached Gina from below.  “Didn’t you learn anything?” it shouted.  “More size won’t solve your problems!  Whether you’re two inches or two miles tall, you’ll be plagued by the same issues.  You need to look inside yourself and find peace, only then can you be happy with yourself and get satisfaction as you get bigger.  The only way to rightfully become the goddess you claim to be is to act with the kindness, compassion, and foresight that title deserves!”

After a moment of searching Gina found the source of the pathetic mewling.  Akane, a little taller than her ankle, was standing on the outside of her left leg, shouting a bunch of new age platitudes about forgiveness and compassion that she’d heard at least a hundred times before.  If she didn’t listen when she was inside the terrarium herself, there was no way she’d give the ideas any mind when Akane was smaller than her foot.  She was a goddess again, and she could define that however she saw fit.

Gina bent forward and swiped a hand at Akane, slapping her whole body with an open palm.  Her fingers snapped shut, seizing the smaller woman in her grip, and brought her to the withering gaze of her clear blue eyes.  Much to her disappointment, she was not struggling to get free or begging to be let go.  She simply met Gina’s amused look with a harsh, intense stare, demonstrating her resolve in the face of impossible odds.

“And who are you to tell me what a goddess is and isn’t?” Gina boomed.  Her voice had taken on a deep, rumbling quality due to her enlarged vocal cords.  It was a new development for it to be a universal quality for her, and she liked it.  She could imagine the masses trembling at her feet as she issued terrible proclamations in it.  “No one’s ever worshipped you.  Your puny body could never command that level of devotion, and you lack the will for it.  Even when you were in control, you were a victim.”

Akane kept her eyes closed during Gina’s tirade to keep the repeated blasts of hot air out of them.  She waited for the monologue to stop rattling her bones before starting on a reply.  Gina always did love the sound of her own voice.  “How willfully ignorant can you be?” she shouted, her calm façade cracking.  “It’s not about how big you are, it never has been and never will be!  Even if you had such power, you’re such a wretched person that you’d lose it immediately because you’re nothing but a giant bully!”

“That so?” Gina asked, a mercurial smile tugging the corner of her lips.  She squeezed Akane, making the smaller woman grimace under her constricting fingers.  Akane slapped uselessly at Gina’s hand, unable to make a chip the stony grip.  “You’re a prisoner, trapped in a cage of your own self-righteous beliefs.  I know that you’re not too stupid to realize that there is no such thing as good or evil, only power and those who use it, and those who get used by it.  You just won’t admit it, because then all the time you’ve spent being a goodie two-shoes would have been a waste.”

Akane squirmed in the giantess’s grip, futilely trying to loosen the hold running from her shoulders down to her knees.  Her efforts only made Gina’s grasp stronger, tightening the fingers around her chest.  She took quick, shallow breaths, but every time she exhaled Gina’s hand filled the gap left by her receding diaphragm, squeezing a little tighter.  Even though she struggled to breathe, she maintained her defiant spirit.  “You’re a… coward,” she sputtered, despite her light-headedness.  “Abusing people smaller than you… to make up for… how empty you are inside.”  Spitting the final fragment took the last of what Akane had, and she passed out.

Gina considered the limp woman in her hand, her head lolling to the side.  If she continued holding her just like this, in a matter of minutes she would suffocate, sparing herself from untold how many boring rants about ethics and morality in the future.  Even easier, she could simply drop her and let internal bleeding from the impact take care of the rest.  All she had to do was release her fingers and the ever-present pest would be out of her hair forever.

That would be too easy, though, and Gina wanted Akane to see her demise coming.  She wanted to break her, make her admit defeat and beg her through tears to stop.  Ever since Akane used weak, under-handed tactics to get the better of her she had dreamt of seeing her reduced to a wailing wretch at her feet, shattering her worldview, and making her admit that she had been wrong all along.  Only then would she deliver the killing blow, and it would be slow and painful.

Still, there was no reason to make her life easy before then, either.  Gina and Veronica had enlarged most of the furniture aside from the terrarium to be appropriate to their size, including the table at the far end of the room.  With two long strides she crossed the distance and looked down at the flat surface below her.  At around thirty feet tall it did not quite reach her waist, but it was the perfect place to strand a nuisance.  She roughly tossed Akane onto the table and took pleasure at how long it took her to roll to a stop.

The stairs creaked under thundering footsteps, and Gina turned to see Veronica stoop through the doorway.  She stuffed the second half of a large pizza into her mouth, easily fitting it between her lips.  Her teeth ground it into mush in only a few seconds of chewing, then she easily swallowed it.  Years ago, that much food would have kept her fed for an entire weekend.  Now, it was only enough to stave off hunger for a few hours.

“Aw, were you having fun without me?” Veronica asked once she spotted Akane sprawled out on the table.  Her voice was normally like a wave of velvet, but at her size other people would feel as though they were being draped in it.  Gina had made sure that she was the larger of the two by a foot, but it was a difference only they noticed.  Every other human on the planet would be nipping at their ankles, the thought of which alone could keep them warm at night.  Neither of them so much as entertained the idea that they were done growing, but they figured they had reached a satisfying plateau on their way toward towering over cities.

“Yeah, I was,” Gina replied, forcing herself to act embarrassed.  “Sorry, Roni.  She’s just so small, there’s not enough of her to go around!  Tell you what, later on we’ll go get a normal so you can have your fun, too.”  She gestured toward the glass box on the floor, smaller than one of their phones now.  “Why don’t you take it out on some of the tinies in the meantime?”

“They’re not very fun anymore,” Veronica answered.  “They’re so small I can barely see them, much less hear their litanies of devotion while I decide whether or not to crush one.  Hell, the last time I got one out I either lost it or couldn’t even feel it get squished.  They just don’t do it for me anymore, you know?”  She had been waiting for a chance to show off how powerful she was now, and going after the same pool of tiny, so-called people was not giving her that opportunity.

“Suit yourself,” Gina said flippantly.  “Akane’s going to need some time to recover once she wakes up though, I think I cracked a rib this time.  Unless you can snatch a jogger or something, it’s the tiny worshippers or nothing for a while.”

Veronica grunted and crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at the terrarium.  She could barely see that, much less its dozens of inhabitants.  To her, their inch-tall bodies were mere grains of sand.  “Why do we even still have that?” she asked.  “We’re already giantesses and we’re still growing, shouldn’t we get bigger toys?  It won’t be long until normals are as small to us as the tinies used to be.”

Gina thought about it for a moment and blew a strand of blond hair out of her face while she cast a forlorn look at the terrarium.  “Sentimental value, I guess,” she finally said, sighing.  “That was where my tiny boyfriend lived, you know?  It’s where people first started worshipping me.  I guess I kind of consider it a holy site for people dedicated to us.”

“Listen to yourself,” Veronica began.  “We’re going to have entire continents as our domains one day, and you’re worried about one little fish tank infested by people the size of bugs?  We’ll have other holy sites and millions of times as many worshippers, there’s no need to hold on to this.  It won’t be long until we’re able to designate sacred ground as we see fit, and no one will be able to say differently.”

Gina rubbed her chin in thought.  While the terrarium had played a crucial role in her personal apotheosis and rebirth, she had to admit they outgrew its usefulness about thirty feet ago.  The last thing she wanted was to be tied down by tradition, even if it was something of great importance to her.  “I guess you’re right,” she reluctantly admitted.  “It had a good run, but it’s time for us to give Tiny Town one last send-off before we view every town as Tiny Town.”

“That’s the spirit!” Veronica exclaimed, glad she finally got Gina to come around to her point of view on something.  “I can do the honors if you think you might be too invested.”  While she wanted to crush something substantial enough to feel it crunch under her foot, she did not want to seem too eager to do it, either.  Neither of them saw it as ending scores of lives, because they had stopped seeing the people forced to live in the terrarium as people long ago.

“No, I’ll do it,” Gina offered.  “I could use the catharsis of smashing that old thing.  Besides, it’ll be symbolic.  A definitive break between my time as a burgeoning giantess, and my ascension to being revered by every miserable soul on this planet.”  She stepped toward the tank, and Veronica wanted to hurriedly smash it to bits.  It would only take a moment, and nothing could be more satisfying to her than destroying where she’d been forced to draw her consolation prizes from over the past month.  Her sense of honor stayed her foot, however.  The offer to let Gina do it had been genuine, even if she would much rather do it herself.

Gina placed one of her black flats parallel to the tank while she got into position.  Looking at it now, it was difficult to believe it and its inhabitants had ever kept her entertained.  The whole thing would fit inside her shoe with room to spare, and the tinies within were nothing more than fleas without the durability.  None of the inhabitants ever meant anything to her aside from her tiny boyfriend and Roni.

Gina stomped her other foot down onto the terrarium, buckling its metal frame and smashing panes of glass.  The tinies inside must have been panicking, but she coiled her leg again and prepared to bring down the thunder.  Her foot slammed onto the tank, buckling its legs while bowing the rest of the frame out.  Glass shards rained down to the floor while she pressed her foot down harder, bending the weakened supports with a small, metallic creak.  The entire structure finally gave way beneath her force, collapsing into a flattened disk of ruined metal.  If any tinies had survived her onslaught, they were bound to be eviscerated by the thousands of shards of broken glass or perish from exposure.

In the twisted wreckage, Gina spotted a small mound of paper that had been skillfully hidden behind the terrarium.  She bent over and scooped it up on two fingers, brushing the tiny shards of glass harmlessly aside.  Gina carefully lifted the pile to where she could see it while glass splinters fell to the floor far below.  By the time she could make out any of the print it was just the envelopes and a few stray fragments from the tank.

Gina had to squint to make out the tiny writing on the envelopes.  It was packet after packet of junk mail, unceremoniously tossed to the ground below by a light flick from her index finger.  She was perfectly capable of dealing with termites on her own, and the unlimited credit card in her mother’s name made any pre-approved offers unnecessary.  It all looked fairly new, which Gina thought odd since she hadn’t collected the mail since before she got shrunk.

At the bottom of the pile, she found her answer.  A sparkly silver envelope was all that remained on Gina’s index finger, and after a long look at it she saw that it was addressed to Akane.  Strangely, it had been opened, leaving a ragged edge of ripped paper along the top.  She carefully squeezed the envelope, dumping its contents onto the tip of her finger.  In relatively large, bold letters on the front which she read aloud it said, “Save the date.”

Precisely maneuvering her fingernail, Gina pried the card open and loudly read its contents.  “Dear loved one,” it began.  “You are cordially invited to the wedding of Fulda Stein and…” the second name was written in a script too small for her to read no matter how much she focused, but she could guess who it was.  “We would be honored if you joined us to witness the joy of our union…”  The address was only a couple blocks away, and it would be happening in a week.  “We hope you are able to join us for the most beautiful day of our lives!” it concluded, and Gina flicked it away with a scoff.

“Akane!” Gina bellowed, and a weak moan answered her.  “Why is mail addressed to you getting delivered to my house?”  Even had her toy been lucid, she did not expect an answer to that.  “And what’s this about my sister getting married to my boyfriend?”  Her outrage was genuine, despite how unfounded it was.  “I think I should be more in the loop on this.  Akane, why don’t you text Fulda or my boyfriend and tell them they can stay here before their wedding?”

“Ugh, but…” Akane sputtered, but Gina was hearing none of it.

“But nothing!” she interrupted.  “They’re going to be here and that’s the end of it, got it?”  Reluctantly, Akane texted Fulda and told her that she would be more than willing to host her, considering that it was her house and all.  Gina closed her eyes and imagined the surprise on her sister’s face when she found out she had been set up.

Fulda stood, finally giving me a welcome relief from the heat and pressure between her thighs.  She had tucked me into the garter of her stocking for the flight, gambling once more that she could intimidate her way past any airport security personnel who wanted to look up her skirt.  Fortunately, that was not necessary, and I was able to rest comfortably against her warm, smooth thigh.  Her choice of a light, airy skirt was as much for my benefit as it was for hers.  I would be able to breathe comfortably while her legs stayed cool and dry, not drenching me in a deluge of sweat.

She pulled her luggage down from the overhead compartment, stooping over slightly so that she wouldn’t bang her head on the ceiling.  The elastic from her garter held me upright and secure, pressing on me hard enough that I made a small dimple in her thigh.  During the brief wait to deplane she slightly spread her legs and brought them back together, idle fidgeting to anyone else that we both understood as a full-body embrace.  When her feet finally started shuffling forward I let my body relax so the strong, steady vibrations from her steps would massage me.

A series of text messages rolled in, making Fulda’s purse vibrate like a beehive.  She read them to me as we walked through the terminal.  Her mother was waiting for us in the terminal, and Akane was still more than willing to host us – obviously, since she was only living there while the remaining shrunken people got sent back to their families.  Despite all her reassurances, I was nervous about meeting Fulda’s mother.  Would she accept her daughter marrying someone who could fit inside her palm?  How would she even react to Fulda pulling her mom’s future son-in-law out from beneath her skirt?

Nervous or not, there was no avoiding it.  To keep my mind busy I counted Fulda’s steps, the powerful impacts making it easy to keep track of them.  Inside her skirt was surprisingly calm aside from my constantly moving surroundings, which I had become accustomed to a long time ago.  Much of the airport’s ambient noise was filtered out by the fabric, and most of what got through was absorbed by her skin.  In a strange way it was relaxing, and her smooth, steady movements helped calm the anxiety I had about everything coming up over the next couple of days.

“Fulda!  There you are!” a woman’s voice called over the din.  Now it was only a matter of waiting for Fulda to reveal me.  The ride stopped, then a powerful force collided with the colossus I was strapped to.  Fulda staggered backward before she could stop herself, and the front of her skirt bowed inward.  It figured that her mom must be huge too – she had to be, if she could so much as budge her.  I could only see her feet, but they were nearly as large as Fulda’s and secured in black leather flats with a gold buckle which probably cost more a month’s rent for most people.

“Mom!” Fulda exclaimed, returning the hug.  “I’m so glad you could make it!  It’s been too long since we actually, you know, saw each other.”

“Oh, I know,” her mom replied, “but I understand.  With me always traveling for business, and you working so hard at your job, it’s a wonder we can even find a few hours a week to talk on the phone!  There’s no way I’d miss your wedding though, even if it was such short notice.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that.”  Fulda had stepped away and was now holding her mom at forearm’s length.  “But when it came to setting a date, my fiancé and I talked it over and it tomorrow was just so perfect!  We couldn’t want to wait a year, so here we are!”

“It was just such a surprise, I didn’t even know you were dating anyone!  When do I get to meet him?  I thought he was flying in with you.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll bring him out in a few minutes,” Fulda said.  She began walking again, and the tiles’ colored diamond pattern blurred from the swift movement of her long strides.  As usual, she had found a way to tell the bizarre truth about us without arousing any suspicion.  While walking she continued, “He can be kind of easy to miss though, and likes to stay to the shadows.  I’m warning you though, he’s not like most other guys.”

“I knew he wouldn’t be, Fulda.  You always marched to the beat of your own drum, and only someone as unique as you would be a match.”  She sounded sweet at least, and I could scarcely believe she had raised a monster like Gina even though she had been absent for most of her teenage years.  Still, I fully expected her to do some impressive mental gymnastics to backpedal when she saw me.  Her expectations were probably focused on an eccentric artist or musician, not someone who crawled into a thimble while her daughter went swimming.

Fulda didn’t say anything, though she let out a quiet grunt when she hefted her bag off the carousel.  It crashed onto the floor, and the handle clicked into position when she started walking.  She had packed for a week, not including her wedding dress, to cover our honeymoon afterward.  I had no idea where we would be going; she played her cards very close to her chest regarding that.  My own baggage had been stuffed inside one of her shoes, but it could not have weighed more than a few grams and wherever we were going, I did not expect anyone to care what I wore.  All eyes would be on her regardless, even if I were not smaller than her big toe.

We walked outside, and her skirt was no longer able to filter out the environment’s noise.  I was suddenly hit by the loud, diverse sounds of an urban environment for the first time in years, and my head swam trying to cope with it.  Dozens of indistinct voices clamored over each other before being drowned out by squealing brakes and car engines.  In an attempt to center myself I looked down at Fulda’s shoes, but that just made the feeling of vertigo stronger.  My body was torn between being sick and passing out, and I was immensely glad Fulda seemed to know where she was going.

A car door opening drowned out all other sounds, and the world spun while Fulda practically folded herself in half to get in.  When she came to a stop I was sideways, and her legs were stretched far enough out that they almost reached the seat on the other side.  Apparently, her mom had rented a limo for the occasion – or owned one.  Another set of legs crossed over Fulda’s at the ankles, continuing past what I could see.  Exactly what I expected from the matriarch of a family of leggy giantesses.

“So,” her mom began, “now that we’re away from prying ears, why don’t you tell me a bit about my future son-in-law so I know what to expect?”

“One sec,” Fulda replied.  “My stockings are bunching up.”  This is it, I thought, and took a deep breath.  Best case, she would absolutely love me.  Worst, she’d smash me in Fulda’s hand.  While the tanned fingers crawled up her thigh toward me my mind focused on the latter.  I wanted to tell Fulda I had changed my mind and wanted to put this off until right before the ceremony, but I had neither the time nor opportunity.  Her thumb and forefinger seized my body and slid me out from her stocking, then pressed me into her palm.  She kept her grip loose while she carried me out, and I barely even noticed I was moving until her hand came to a sudden stop.

“Ta-dah!” Fulda proudly proclaimed, uncurling her fingers.  “Here he is, the man I’m marrying!”

Fulda’s mom leaned in until her nose touched her hand.  Her eyes, the same bright, icy color as Fulda’s, were wide in shock while she studied me.  They had the same large, rounded nose too, and cold breezes from her flaring nostrils hit me every couple of seconds.  Round, dark sunglasses on her forehead held her peroxide blond bangs out of her face, and her skin had a slight olive tone to it.  She looked surprisingly good for her age, with only a few shallow crow’s feet around her eyes and some deep laugh lines.

“Is this a joke?” she asked.  “He’s so small!”  Worst case, then.  If I was lucky, I wouldn’t even see her hand coming down to flatten me.  Unexpectedly she squinted and began moving her head so she could look at me from different angles.  Ponderous sounds came from her throat while she did so, like she was appraising me.  Finally, she returned to controlling my entire forward perspective and proclaimed, “Handsome, though.  Looks pretty fit too, despite his size, and you must get on great with him if he’s made it this far.  What’s your name, little guy?”  She paused and looked at Fulda, “Does he mind if I call him that?”

Fulda chuckled, making her hand shake.  “Well, he prefers his name, but I call him that all the time.”

I told her my name and her eyes widened again, as though she were surprised I could speak despite asking me a question.  “I’m glad to finally meet you, Ms. Stein.”

“Oh, please!” she started, then broke into laughter.  “You can call me Janine!  ‘Ms. Stein’ is so formal, like we’re at a business meeting.  We’re family!  Or at least, we will be soon.”  She paused to clear her throat.  “Funnily enough – and Fulda probably already told you about it – she dated someone with your same name in high school.”

“It’s funnier than you think,” Fulda broke in.  “This is him!  You never met him then since you were in Germany the whole time we were together then, but we reconnected a while ago and it just… clicked, you know?”

Janine smiled, glancing between me and her daughter.  “Some things are just meant to be, even if you don’t know it at the time,” she stated.  “It’s even more impressive since, well, he’s still alive!  You wouldn’t think someone so small would live an hour, let alone years.  It really must have been meant to be if he made it back to you.”  She didn’t need to know what had happened in the meantime, and neither of us were eager to fill her in.

“Yeah, I just didn’t realize what I had back then,” Fulda said, “but I knew how special he was when he came back.  He’s smart, sweet, caring, funny… everything you could want in a man, and it’s all concentrated in one tiny little package!  I might actually adore him even more than he adores me, if you can believe it.”

“Well, if he makes you happy, that’s enough for me.”  Janine finally stopped scrutinizing me and leaned back in her seat.  “It’s not easy for tall women like us to find someone so great, and I would know as someone six-and-a-half feet tall.  A lot of men were scared of me, but your dad… Well, let’s just say I understand why you’re marrying someone so much smaller than you.”  She looked at me with a warm smile, and Fulda pulled me back beneath her chin.

Not long after the car pulled to a stop, and they both looked out the tinted windows in confusion.  Slowly, as though they expected a trap, they opened the doors and got out, and Fulda held me closer to her chest.  As they got closer, I could tell more clearly what was wrong.  The house was massive, over a hundred feet tall, and there were fragments of wooden fences where it crossed over onto other lots.  There was an impractically large door at the top of the stoop, its knob far out of even Fulda’s reach, with a smaller, much more reasonable door at the bottom.  They approached it cautiously, sensing something was deeply wrong with this picture.

“I remember our house being big,” Janine began, “and we had some changes made to accommodate us, but this seems excessive.”

“No, it was never quite this… gigantic,” Fulda replied.  Compared to whomever the door was built for she would only have been a few inches tall, and I never remembered her climbing a ladder to get into her own house.  “But it’s still our house, so we might as well see what’s up.”  Without saying anything I knew we shared the same concern, and she surreptitiously concealed me.  Her hand tipped over, dumping me onto her chest, and I tumbled into her cleavage.  Halfway down her massive breasts finally put up enough friction to stop me, and I was held in suspension inside her bra.

Janine stepped up to the door inset within the gigantic one and slid her key in, and to her surprise the lock turned with it.  They walked through, the main door acting as a foyer, and entered the house.  The shoe rack in the actual foyer drove the bizarre scale home, with each pair of sneakers and flats on the bottom row almost reaching their shoulders.  Further in, they saw a couch and chairs much too large for any person to use, with a more reasonably sized couch almost slipping into the gap beneath the enormous one.

The door swung shut while the two inched further into what was supposed to be their home.  “This must be how your fiancé feels all the time,” Janine remarked, staring up a leg of the coffee table.

“I was just thinking that,” Fulda replied as she ran her shoe through a grouted ditch.  Her voice’s vibrations triggered physical pleasure inside me, helping to offset the feeling of dread.  The longer we lingered, the more likely it was that something awful would happen.  “Let’s get out of here, we can stay at a hotel.  This is too damn weird.”

“But you just got here!” boomed a voice from the top of the stairs.  It was intimately familiar to me, and I was the only person alive who had heard it in full force.  I would never forget the primal terror that accompanied its terrible rumbling.  A crash rang out from the stairs, followed by the creak of wood straining under a great weight and another crash seconds later.  Fulda dashed for the door, throwing me around inside her shirt, but was unable to get the door open.  Despite her great strength she could not do more than budge it no matter how hard she strained.

“Come on, my so-called ‘big’ sister, stay for a bit.  I haven’t talked to you in months!”  The strikes became louder, and I could feel the impacts despite my substantial ballast.  “Why don’t you take a seat on the couch and we can have a little heart to heart?”  At last the thundering booms stopped, but that hardly meant the situation was better.

“My, Gina, you’ve… grown so big,” was all Janine could manage when she gazed up at her towering daughter.  She and Fulda were not quite halfway to her knees if they stood at their tallest.

“Oh, uh, hey mom,” Gina stammered.  “I didn’t expect you to come, too.”

“Of course I came!” Janine exclaimed.  “I’m not going to miss one of my daughters getting married!”

“I don’t see why not,” Gina shot back, “you’ve missed everything else we’ve done for the past seven years.”

“Look, I know I wasn’t the best mother,” Janine began, “but I had to make sacrifices – big ones – to provide for the three of you once your father was gone.  Did you ever want for anything, other than attention?  All you had to do was swipe that card and everything would be provided for on my dime.  I didn’t miss things because I wasn’t interested, I did it so you wouldn’t have to miss out on anything.”

“We can talk about this later.”  Gina had apparently not expected that.  “Tomorrow is Fulda’s big day, and I think we should talk about her and her future husband!  Where is he, anyway?”

“He’s out running a few errands, making sure everything’s ready to go for tomorrow,” Fulda blurted.  “He might not get in until really late, like after midnight, so you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to meet him.”

“Well then, I really look forward to meeting him there,” Gina said.  She intentionally stepped over Fulda and bypassed her mom, then plopped down onto the couch.  Her hand rapidly slapped the seat in the same manner you would invite a pet.  “Come on, sit next to me and tell me all about him!  Last time I talked to you, you were complaining about how you thought you’d never find the right guy.  This must have been quite the whirlwind romance!”  More insistently she patted her fingers on the couch beside her, beckoning Fulda to come sit.

 “No thanks, I really prefer to stand,” Fulda declined.

“But you shouldn’t have to!” Gina rejoined.  “Come on, you deserve to take a load off after your trip.  You’ll feel better, trust me.”  Fulda hesitated, and Gina jabbed at the real issue.  “If you’re worried you’re not big enough to sit next to your little sister, I can help you out.  Really, it’d be no trouble at all for me to bring you up here.”  Gina hadn’t lost her mastery of throwing shade while appearing extremely polite.

Fulda was between a rock and a hard place, and everyone knew it.  I felt her reluctantly move toward Gina’s voice, knowing that if I so much as peeked out it would be the end for both of us –Janine too, if Gina were feeling particularly wrathful.  My fiancé came to a stop and leapt upward, making my insides drop as she did, and grabbed onto the ridge running along the midpoint of the cushion.  She dug her fingers in to keep from falling and kicked at the couch’s base, climbing onto it.  When she finally reached the mesa’s summit she sat down, letting her legs dangle off the ledge.

“Wow!” Gina exclaimed.  “I didn’t think you’d make it!  But you still look uncomfortable.  I really feel like I’d be failing as a host if I didn’t insist you lean all the way back.”  Before Fulda could object, Gina’s hand swooped down and laid over Fulda, then swept her backwards.  With as little effort as possible she drove Fulda where she wanted, shoving her to the very back of the cushion.

“Should I get up there too?” Janine asked.  She meant well, but only a handful of people understood the power struggle playing out on the couch.

“Oh, mom, you can go wherever you want!” Gina responded.  “I’m hosting, but you own the place.  If you want to talk with us, I guess the smaller couch by my right heel is most convenient for you, but by no means should you be constrained to that.”  Janine, still bewildered by feeling like an infant in her own home, took a seat on the recommended couch and tried not to think about how Gina’s shoe was now taller than her.

“Now that we’re all comfortable,” Gina began, “why don’t you tell us about your fiancé?  Like, how did you meet him?  How long have you been together?  What makes him special enough to spend the rest of your life with?”  I could tell that Gina was trying to lure Fulda into a logical trap, but she was used to bullying people physically.  Fulda had merged that with bullying them mentally years ago and was leagues ahead of her.

“Believe it or not, all three are related!” Fulda replied.  “I dated him for six months senior year of high school – you met him then, I remember! – but we broke up before college.  We started talking again about five months ago, and I just remembered everything that was so great about him then, and he’s still so sweet!  Honestly, if he hadn’t asked me I would’ve asked him at the same time, that’s how in sync we are.  He gets me like no one else does, and it always feels like we’re on the same page.”

“That sounds really impressive,” Gina started, “especially since you didn’t even talk to him for what five, six years before reconnecting?  You both could have changed a lot in that time in ways you wouldn’t even find out for years.”

“I don’t think so,” Fulda dissented.  “I checked in on him pretty regularly, and he at least thought about me a lot too.  He didn’t really have any social media of his own, but he popped up a lot on it, and he told me that I was on his mind a lot.  When we reconnected, it was like we picked up right where we left off, more or less.  He tried dating other people, so did I, but no one ever seemed like they were ‘the one’ to either of us.”

“But if you’re so perfect, why did you break up at the end of high school?” Gina asked.  “Seems to me like you would have stayed together if you were such a great match, or at least gone to the same college.  Did he even go to college?”  She was flailing for some advantage, and I knew Fulda picked up on it too.

“You must have noticed this in your own class, now that you’re getting closer to graduation,” Fulda began.  An expert jab, since Gina hadn’t attended a class in five months.  “Your friends are pairing off, splitting up, doing all sorts of arrangements, because they don’t know what their future holds!  Maybe they’ll meet the absolute perfect person for themselves at college, maybe they’ll have trouble relating to anyone there as much as they did in high school.  It’s all about comparing nostalgia and real experiences, and… you know what?  You’ll probably find out for yourself, because if it doesn’t happen for you it’ll probably happen to one of your friends.”  Neither of them seemed particularly keen to address that I was technically a high school dropout, and instead focused on properties that weren’t related to me being shrunk.

“Hey, mom?” Gina started, completely redirecting the conversation.  “Would you mind giving the kitchen and dining room a once-over real quick?  The reception’s going to be here tomorrow, and I want to make sure everything’s in good shape.”

“Sure, honey!” Janine replied, and sprung up from her seat.  She walked away, one relatively tiny step at a time, until she began looking around the dining room in earnest.  After her initial hesitation, we all knew that sending Janine away was merely a cover for her own axe to grind with Fulda.

Sure enough, Gina pounced as soon as Janine was out of earshot.  She grabbed Fulda in a single swipe and wrapped her fingers around her tight enough to pin her arms.  The movement of two tremendous women was enough to make me dizzy, though I recovered shortly after Gina settled to having Fulda under her judgmental gaze.

“You may have outplayed me by bringing our mom along,” Gina hissed, “but it won’t save you forever.  I’m going to get my boyfriend back because we are meant to be together while you become an old maid.  I know your wedding is supposed to be tomorrow, and I’m going to make sure it doesn’t happen.”

“Bring it, bitch” Fulda retorted.  “We both know you wouldn’t dare fuck with me just because you’re jealous.  So, do your worst and see what happens.  I can see three steps ahead of you, and I have a contingency for any bullshit you come up with.”

“Do you now?”  Gina sounded unbearably smug.  “Because if mom weren’t here, I would’ve juiced you and looked through the pulp for my boyfriend the minute you walked through the door.  All bets are off tomorrow though.”  Gina gave her sister a quick squeeze then dropped Fulda onto her knee, a simple way to remind her who was really in charge.  Fulda landed on her feet but stumbled forward and flipped onto her back to avoid smashing me when she fell.  Before she could get up Gina placed a finger on her stomach, holding her still on her thigh.

Fulda struggled to push the gigantic finger off, but the strength disparity between them was too great.  Gina was so much stronger than her due to sheer dint of her size, and even if she could move the finger all Gina had to do was apply more pressure.  It was a losing battle, and though she fought it valiantly even Fulda’s great strength would not last much longer.  The blond titaness chuckled at her easy victory, a terrifying rumble that made the world shake.

“No matter what you do, you can’t stop me,” Gina proclaimed, pressing down harder on Fulda’s stomach.  My fiancé folded in half from the sudden surge in pressure, and Gina continued, “Tomorrow I’ll be even bigger, stronger, and more determined to get him back.  But you can avoid whatever horrible fate I have in store for you and very public humiliation if you just give him to me now.”

“He’s a person, you lunatic,” Fulda confidently shot back, “not some piece of jewelry to be passed back and forth as we please.  You’ll have to take him by force, and I’m going to make you pay dearly for the attempt.”

“I doubt you will, but I hope you try,” Gina replied smugly.  “Watching you struggle against me, too small to even push away my finger, has been the highlight of my year.  It’ll be so much sweeter tomorrow.”  She grabbed Fulda again and gave her a rough shake, making her head and feet flail wildly.  With a flick of her wrist she tossed her sister aside, and Fulda bounced on the leather before sliding to stop.

Fulda was slow to get back up, and she let out a long, pained groan while she forced herself to stand.  Gina watched her like a cat studying her prey, poised to strike at any moment.  Fortunately, for now she was content to simply menace her, and Fulda’s walk to the front of the couch was uninterrupted.  She sat and let her legs dangle over the side, and gradually slid her body off the edge.  For a split second she was in freefall, and her landing forced me down to the bottom of her bra.

“Ready to head out, mom?” Fulda called toward the kitchen.  Gina had crossed one leg over the other and consciously dangled a foot over Fulda’s head, rocking it back and forth in the air.  She was sending a clear message that, even though she wouldn’t, she could smash her sister at any time without issue.

“Yeah, everything looks good for the reception,” Janine answered.  She walked around the toe of Gina’s shoe and stood in front of Fulda.  “We should probably go make sure the temple’s ready to host us too before they close.”

“You’re already leaving?” Gina asked.  “But you just got here!  You could at least wait for the groom before you go.”

“He’s a big boy, he’ll be fine,” Fulda insisted.  Everyone knew that was a blatant lie, but no one could admit they knew it.  “I’ll see you there tomorrow, ‘kay?  I’ll make sure they save a row just for you.”

“I’m looking forward to it so much!”  Gina’s enthusiasm over a chance to ruin her family’s life was ghoulish, but unsurprising.  “I’ll get the door for you since, well, I don’t think you can reach the handle.”  She slammed her foot to the floor as close to Fulda as she could and got up, nearly taking Fulda’s head off as she stepped over on the way to the door.  We rushed to keep up with her even though it was impossible, and she had to hold the door for nearly a minute for us to leave.

Once we were safely back in the car, Fulda reached in and dug me out from beneath her breasts.  She gave me a quick stream of cold breath from her mouth to help cool me down, then placed me on her knee.  I took a seat and grabbed onto the nylon under me to help stay still, and the car got moving.

“We cannot stay there tonight,” Fulda announced.  “I know it’s your house and you were looking forward to sleeping in your own bed for once, but Gina has totally lost her mind.  I’m not even sure about having the reception there, the whole thing is off-putting.”

“I completely agree,” Janine replied.  “Everything’s so big, I just felt tiny.  It was awful.”  She realized what she said immediately after the words were out of her mouth and looked at me, embarrassed.  “Sorry, I didn’t mean…”

“No, it’s fine,” I said, and decided not to dwell on it.  “Is there anywhere else we can stay?  If nothing else, we can grab a hotel room.”

“I think Anni still lives here,” Fulda answered.  “She’s a teacher at one of the schools.  I’m sure she’ll let us crash there for the night, she’s going to the wedding and all, especially if we explain what’s going on to her.”  Hearing no objections, she passed the address to the driver and cupped a hand around me in case I fell off.

It wasn’t a long drive, and when we arrived Fulda plucked me from her leg between two fingers.  She and Janine briskly walked up the path to Anni’s house while I was held just below shoulder level.  Fulda rapped her knuckles on the door three times, and after a few seconds of disorganized noise from behind it the door opened.  Anni stood in the doorway with her long, brown hair disheveled and looked down at the three of us with her soft brown eyes, then smiled.  There were only a handful of women alive taller than Fulda and Anni was one of them, measuring a full foot more.  As far as I knew her gigantic size was totally natural, but I could never be positive with Fulda’s circle of friends.

“Fulda!” Anni exclaimed upon recognizing her friend.  “What’re you doing here?  I didn’t expect to see you until tomorrow!”

“Something’s off with the house,” Fulda said, not wanting to explain the situation, “let’s just say I’m not a fan of what Gina’s done with the place.  Can we crash here for the night?”

“Yeah, of course!” Anni replied, stepping out of the doorway.  “Sorry it’s kind of a mess, I wasn’t expecting company.”  We went inside and followed her to the living room which was, as she said, in some disarray.  The furniture wasn’t built for giants, though, so we could live with it.  “First, sleeping arrangements.  I’ll take the couch, Fulda can have my bed, Janine the guest bed, and this little guy,” she pointed at me and grinned, “can have a bed made for him anywhere, isn’t that right?  Just say what and where, and you’ve got it.”

“You really don’t need to…” Fulda began, but Anni cut her off.

“Girl, you are getting married tomorrow.  You need beauty rest, a place to get all dolled up, and most importantly, somewhere you and the groom won’t see each other before the ceremony.  I can survive on the couch for one night, and then take him to the temple with me tomorrow when I go.  I’ll even make sure he looks just as perfect as you’re going to.”

“Well, if you insist,” Fulda reluctantly agreed.

“I do, and if you push me I’ll make you,” Anni said.  “Now come on, put that cutie down somewhere and I’ll help you bring in your bags.”  Fulda looked around for a moment before setting me down on the dark blue couch, then the three of them went to grab their luggage.

I woke up in an empty playing card box wrapped in a napkin.  Sleep had not come easily to me.  In addition to Anni snoring on the couch, Gina’s threats echoed in my head.  How far would she go to kidnap me from Fulda?  It seemed like she became even more unstable in the time I was away, and she was capable of anything now.  At the very least she would shrink her and take me as a prize, if not just for revenge for getting shrunk herself.  Killing was a solid possibility too, even though Fulda had explicitly spared her.  Worst case, she would shrink the building and smash it, then sift through the wreckage for me.

Sleeping in was not in the cards for me today, however, and Anni had no intention of letting me.  Her fingertips pounded on the countertop just outside my makeshift room, then the flimsy plastic roof bulged inward from her lightly tapping it.  “Time to wake up, sleepy head!” she proclaimed, and her voice reverberated in my tiny compartment.  “You’re marrying the greatest woman on Earth today, and you’ve got a lot to do to get ready!”  As if I could forget either thing.

I slid out from the napkin and crawled to the exit, stepping over the tab that would normally keep the box closed.  Anni was eagerly waiting for me to emerge, and the moment I did her fingers were upon me.  She pinched my body between her thumb and forefinger – Fulda must have told her how to pick me up, no one had ever done it like that their first time – and lifted me off the counter.  “I’m going to help you get ready, okay?” she said, holding me near her belly.  “You need to look at least half as good as she does.”  So I was tasked with the impossible.

Anni turned on the faucet and held me under the tap, letting the water drench me.  She squirted a tiny amount of soap onto her finger and pulled me out of the stream, then applied the soap to me.  Her finger worked up a good lather as she rubbed it all over my body, getting rid of any dirt and smells that might have been on me.  When I was clean, she put me back under the water to rinse it away, then placed me in the same napkin I had slept in.  Delicately she patted me dry before pulling the paper off me so we could continue.

She slid my suitcase toward me, taking special care not to fling it when her finger stopped.  “Go on, get dressed,” Anni coaxed.  “I want to make sure you don’t look like a fool.”  I doubted anyone would get a good look at me, but I’d have to get dressed anyway.  With a tired grunt I unzipped my luggage and pulled out a garment bag, then unzipped that too.  Inside was the tuxedo Fulda had tailored for me, then shrunk so I could actually wear it, and I pulled it out.

As expected, it fit perfectly, but Anni was not yet satisfied.  She grabbed a magnifying glass and bent over so she could focus on me while looking at me through the lens.  “Hm,” she said, inspecting every minute aspect of my appearance.  “Straighten your bowtie.  Make sure that both sides of your jacket are even with each other.  Pull that pant leg out from behind the tongue of your shoe so that it falls onto the shoe itself.”  I complied with all her instructions, and when I was finished she looked me over again.  “That’s better.  Just make sure your hair stays in order and we’re good to go.”

Anni set the magnifying glass on the counter, then pinched me around the chest with tweezers.  “Don’t want to get your clothes all ruffled,” she explained, cupping a hand beneath me.  She walked out the door and to her car, where she set me down on top of her purse.  I secured myself in one of the handle’s loops and she started the car, put it in gear, and began backing out.  If I had any doubts, it was too late to back out now.

Fulda had chosen a small temple for our ceremony, about the size of a two-bedroom house, since the guest list was so short.  Anni used the tweezers to pick me up again and brought me inside, keeping a hand below to catch me in case I slipped.  Her long legs made the trip pleasantly brief and she was able to keep the ride smooth for me the whole time, though I could not be sure if that was out of concern for my safety or appearance.

A quick walk up the red carpet later, Anni set me down at the base of the black stone altar.  There was a small black X marked on the floor for me and I made sure to stand directly on it, not deviating a single micron.  Anni studiously walked around me and took a spot behind the lectern, resting her arms on top of it.  She threw open the leather-bound book with a boom and began scanning the marked pages in preparation.

I had thought Anni’s flowing black robes were unusual for bride’s maids, and when I saw the quartet assembled across from me it came together: she would be officiating, while the members of the wedding party were in light blue and white dresses reminiscent of the titular character from “Alice in Wonderland.”  They all wore shiny black Mary Janes almost twice my size and bright white tights fresh for the occasion, with the skirts formed like a turtle shell down to their knees.  The white aprons were fringed with lace, and each of them had a different colored bow in their hair to make sure it flowed down their backs.

They were in order of height, so Helen stood closest to me, looming like a mountain while she stared down at me with her pale eyes, a black ribbon in her hair and slight grin on her face.  Beside her was Jessica, the sister who hadn’t gone insane, with a blue bow in her hair.  Her deep blue eyes darted everywhere around me, probably embarrassed at how she treated me in the past.  Next was Jackie, who had dyed her hair pastel blue to make her white ribbon stand out even more, standing with her hands clasped together and her red lips spread in a broad, toothy smile.  Finally, there was Mia, a sharp drop from the others but still quite enormous to me.  A red ribbon ran through her dark hair and her brown eyes darted between me and Jesse, the only groomsman, possibly imagining when it would be their turn.

It had been a very long time since I was the center of attention for a crowd, and it made me very uncomfortable.  I had to constantly fight the urge to pull at my collar and risk messing up my bowtie.  To keep my mind off it I glanced around the room, idly admiring the pentacles hanging on the walls and inscriptions on the black stone altar, but my eyes kept returning to the gigantic women only a few feet from me.  Each of them had tried to crush me at some point, even if it was unintentional, and with a single lunge they could do it again, voicing their objection to our union in the most definitive way possible.  Neither party was too keen to break the silence, so we just alternated between looking at the other and looking at anywhere else.

The double doors opened, and everyone’s attention turned that way.  Fulda strode through the door, her chin held high with each long, deliberate step she took toward the altar.    It seemed like her glossy white pumps were gliding over the ground, and her translucent white stockings ran the whole length of her legs, making them look even more amazing than usual.  Her gown was on the skimpy side, more like a corset with how much it covered and accentuated her already impressive figure, and it was covered in embroidery with a bit of lace trailing from her waist.  White satin gloves were pulled up to her elbows, and in lieu of a veil she had gone with a silver tiara.  Everything about her face was radiant, from her glistening pink lips to her immaculately tended eyebrows, but her eyes especially shone like magnificent blue beacons and drew everyone’s focus.

She stopped where I was perfectly in between the front and back of her shoes, barely making a sound or vibration despite her relatively gigantic size.  Carefully she lifted her toes and spun on her heels, swinging one shoe over my head while it passed.  They came back down on either side of me, making a slight tremor, and for once I was not dwarfed by the toe of her shoes, merely on level with it.  I looked up the towering, immaculate body in front of me, and was struck dumb.  With a single glance I had fallen deeper in love with her than I could have ever imagined, entranced by her almost otherworldly beauty.

“Fulda has asked me to forego most of the ceremony today,” Anni proclaimed, breaking me out of my trance, “so I will merely affirm that this union is looked upon with approval by Abaddon and turn it over to them.”

I had no idea we were supposed to write our own vows, and though I had never been more enamored with her, I could think of no way to verbalize it.  Fortunately, Fulda had prepared something and went first, so I’d have something to go off.  “I’ve lived enough without you to know that I don’t want to,” she began, looking directly down at me.  “I don’t see your shortcomings as negatives, and how great you are is just a bonus on top.  I cherish every minute we have together and want to have as many of those as we can.  There’s no one on this earth I could love more than you.  You’re mine, but more importantly, I’m yours.”

That would be tough to follow without anything prepared, so I decided to speak from the heart.  “You’ve made me the man I am today, in ever sense,” I started.  “I couldn’t even begin to imagine my life without you, you’ve had such an enormous effect on it.  You’re the only woman who gets me, though I know it can be trying at times, and you always come through for me.  My life is in your hands, and it has been for as long as I can remember.  I know you always have our best interests at heart, and if you’re mine, then I’m yours.”  Silence reigned in the aftermath of my vows, and I worried that I might have fucked up.

“Then your union is solidified,” Anni declared.  “You may now become one, as you have been blessed with each other.”  I was probably the only person in history whose new wife’s lips were so far above that no accommodations could resolve it, so I simply walked forward and kissed the toe of her shoe.  Fulda watched me, and when I pulled away she let out a little giggle.

“Let me help you, little guy,” she said, then bent over.  I was ensconced in white satin and lifted from the floor, getting a brief but comprehensive tour of her body while ascending the full seven feet of her body.  She settled me in front of her perpetually moist, pink lips, showing the most wonderful smile I had ever seen.  “I hope you’re ready to spend most of the next seven days inside me, little man,” she whispered, then winked and planted a long, enormous kiss over my whole body.

A loud boom suffused the air, followed by a quake so powerful even I felt it in Fulda’s hand.  We looked around to find the source, and several seconds later it came again, louder and stronger than before.  Everyone started to panic, but only a few of us truly understood what was happening.  A tremendous object blocked all light coming from outside, throwing the room into shadow, and through the windows we could see each fuzzy tip of black suede.

The building’s structure shuddered, and bulges appeared along the ceiling followed by deep cracks.  With a great cacophony the roof was torn away, showering the room in bits of plaster and wood.  As it was carried away the culprits were gradually revealed, with a pair of monolithic legs in dark stockings on one side, and two peach, exquisitely toned ones on the other.  As though it were nothing Gina tossed the roof aside to crumble somewhere far away and looked down into the building, riding the wave of endorphins from her unquestionable power.

“Last chance, Fulda,” Gina boomed.  Her voice was horrifying, more like an unstoppable force of nature than human speech.  “Either give my boyfriend back to me, or I’ll crush you, then everyone else in this tiny building, and then I’ll take him anyway!”

“He was never your boyfriend, you fucking psycho!” Fulda shouted back at her.  “You forced him to do stuff with you under penalty of death, just like this!  Not to mention that he’s my fucking husband now!”

“We’ll see about that,” Gina replied.  The titaness leaned over with a hand opened, aimed right at Fulda.  Everyone else scattered, trying to get away from it, but Fulda stood her ground.  The mammoth fingers ensnared her, and with a firm jerk she was yanked from the floor.  I slid out of her palm and over her satin-covered fingers, then plummeted to the ground to land on the red carpet’s cushioning.  From there I was powerless to watch as Gina carried my new bride hundreds of feet into the air and enclosed her in a fist.

I woke up on the floor of an obviously artificial environment.  Everything being the right size for me was the first tell, but when I slammed my feet against the floor to stand it sounded and felt just like hollow plastic.  All the wall decorations looked like decals, some of them partially peeling off from the bottom, and the furniture looked wan and dainty even to me.  Once again I had been relegated to a doll house, and a cheaply made one at that.  In all my time being tiny, I had never been made to stay in whatever place was available.

A pair of strong arms draped over my shoulders from behind, wrapping me in a loose embrace.  They pulled me back into a large, warm body, with my head resting on something very soft.  “Good morning, sunshine,” Fulda greeted, running a hand up and down my chest.  She leaned down and planted a kiss on my scalp, then spun me around to face her.  I was looking straight at her chest, but some fingers lifting my chin remedied that.  Fulda still looked resplendent in her wedding gown, but looked at me as though I was her whole world.  Without a word she leaned in and pressed her lips against mine, locking me in a passionate embrace for as long as she wanted.

Three tremendous thuds pounded against the wall, pulling our attention away from each other.  “Hello in there, my little people!” a voice boomed, making us both start.  “I hope you’re all okay, since it’s like you’re all family now!”  A shock of blond hair flashed passed the window, then the pane was filled by a deep, clear blue eye.  Its pupil retracted while it focused on us, only to be replaced by the long, broad lines across a palm.  The building rattled while the roof’s latches were undone, then it was torn away so our new captor could stare down at us.

Jessica’s soft features brightened when she saw us looking back up at her.  She gave us a quick wave and said, “Sorry about the lame place, this was really short notice and we didn’t have anything better ready to go.”

“Where are we?” I asked.  “It’s all just a blur after Gina showed up.”

“I’m not surprised you don’t remember,” Jessica replied.  “Things got pretty hectic, and you took a pretty bad fall at the start of it.”  She recounted the events, and my memory began to come back.

Gina had Fulda in her clutches, and she was taking time to gloat.  “I’m going to break every single one of your bones before I make you go pop,” she declared, opening her hand.  She let out a rumbling chuckle and the ground felt like it was on the verge of splitting apart.  To my surprise, the bride’s maids were circling around to hide me from Gina while someone figured out how to deal with her.

Veronica’s arm shot across overhead and grabbed Gina’s shirt by the collar.  “I’ve had enough of this!” she proclaimed, jerking Gina toward her.  “For months you haven’t shut your mouth about this, but I can’t let you go through with it!  It’s wrong, you’re crazy, and I’m going to stop you.”  Gina eye’s widened as she began rapidly reducing in size and losing control of the situation.

In response, she reached out and grabbed Veronica’s shirt as tightly as she could.  The two titanic blonds were shrinking each other!  “I made you a giantess and I can take that away!” Gina shouted when she was half of her former size.

“I didn’t want to be one in the first place!” Veronica retorted.  “I wanted to have my own life, set the world on fire, be a star athlete, but you took it away from me when you included me in your stupid games!”  They were around the sizes they had been yesterday, and their bodies were pressing against the wall.  “I’m taking it back and making what I can out of it, and that starts with getting rid of you!”

The walls cracked then burst inward, spraying debris over the shattered room and each other.  “Treating you like an equal was a mistake,” Gina growled.  “I thought you were different than the others, but you’re just a weak coward afraid of what you could be when the only thing you should be is a flattened corpse smashed under my shoe.”

Veronica’s response was to body slam Gina onto the ground.  Her hands reflexively opened when her body went limp, making Fulda bounce into the air.  Mia sprung into action, catching her before she hit the ground, and Helen dashed to secure Gina with a knee on her stomach.  Jackie scooped me scooped me off the ground with her slender fingers while Jessica focused her concentration on Gina.  Veronica, still several feet taller than the average woman, used the confusion to get out the door and make her escape.

Mia walked over to Jackie and slid Fulda into her hands beside me.  She was unconscious, so I slid my arms under her armpits to hold her steady.  Despite her shrunken state she was still much larger and heavier than me, so it was more for my comfort than hers.  Jackie formed a protective cage around us to help, leaving just enough of a gap between her fingers so I could see what was going on.

Gina began to dwindle again and quickly became small enough that Helen had to get move to avoid crushing her.  In seemingly no time at all she was about my size, little more than a vague splotch on the carpet indistinguishable from a stain.  Helen and Jessica stood around her looking down, trying to decide what to do.  I could see the muscles in Helen’s ankle twitching while she fought the urge to summarily execute her.  “You want to do it, or should I?” she asked.

“I can’t, and you won’t,” Jessica answered.  “She’s done some terrible things and let her obsessions get the best of her, but she’s going to live… the same way she made hundreds of others live.  Swiftly stomping on her would be too easy.”

Helen chuckled.  “If that’s the way it has to be, then so be it,” she declared.  “I think we can do something more to her, though.”  A moment later Gina started decreasing in size once more until she slipped in between the carpet fibers.  Without needing to be prompted, Anni stepped out from behind the black altar and knelt beside Gina’s last known location.  She pulled out her pair of tweezers and lifted the unimaginably puny woman off the ground, then placed her inside her hand.  With a sense of finality she closed her fingers, sealing her inside a fist.

“And that’s how you ended up in this shabby little place,” Jessica concluded.  “We didn’t know where else to take you, so you’re back in the house.  You know the one.”  I did indeed, but without Gina menacing us I was fine with it.  “But there’s someone downstairs who says they know you!  Let me go get her for you.”  She scrambled away before standing so s not to loom over us, leaving me and Fulda alone.

Immediately I turned and wrapped my arms around Fulda, burying my face deep in her chest.  I squeezed her as hard as I could, relishing having the warm slab of muscle in my arms.  It was the first time I had actually been able to hug her whole body in six years, and it felt magnificent.  “I was so worried I’d lost you,” I said, tears welling in my eyes.  “I was…”

“I know,” Fulda cooed soothingly, squeezing me back when I couldn’t finish.  She brushed my hair back and gave me a light peck on the forehead.  “I was so worried I was going to die in Gina’s hand and all that would be left would be some unrecognizable mush, but… But worse, she’d get you, and you’d have to live with her torment for years.”  We both fell into a calm silence, hugging each other as though it could be the last time.

“Get your fucking hands off my boyfriend!” shouted a puny voice from the floor.  Reflexively we looked down for the source and spotted a tiny figure in black, capped with blond hair.  “And stop fucking around and make me big again!  I’m a giantess, and I deserve to look like one!”  Even at a fraction of an inch tall, Gina was still demanding.

Fulda pushed me away and turned all her focus to her youngest sister.  “Are you fucking serious right now?” she snapped.  “You tried to fucking murder me, all my friends, our family, and kidnap my fucking husband, all because you’re a damn lunatic who fixated on someone who was forced to be around you!”  The longer she went the more intense she was until flecks of spittle were flying off her lips.  “I can’t believe we spared you before and you pulled this shit at your first chance!  The only reason you’re not a flattened stain on the ground right now is because being this small must be the absolute worst thing that could ever happen to you and I want you to experience it all you can!”

“You can’t talk to me like that!” Gina squeaked in protest.  “I am a goddess, and I demand…”

“No you aren’t, and yes I can!” Fulda interrupted.  “You’re a delusional little girl smaller than my thumb nail who abused a skill I taught you to torture and kill hundreds of people, and you were stopped by your only friend getting as sick of your shit as everyone else!”

“I’m sorry, am I interrupting something?” asked a low, gentle voice from above.  We looked up and saw a pair of soft, nearly black eyes staring down at us amid a broad, smooth field of skin the color of parchment.  Akane smiled before continuing, “I figured I’d give you a little time to get oriented before you saw me looming over you.  So, how do you feel?”

“Never better,” I answered, wrapping an arm around Fulda’s waist.  “I’m married to the most wonderful woman in the world, and as soon as she’s back to her normal size we can get back to our lives.”

Akane’s smile disappeared.  “Um, about that,” she began.  “Fulda said it herself: she taught Gina how to grow and shrink people.  That means she’s culpable for all the pain, suffering, and death her sister caused, at least morally.  She’s the source of so many awful things that have happened, and she very well might cause more.  It’s better to keep her contained like this.”

Fulda’s mouth was wide open in shock and a single tear rolled down her cheek.  In her stunned silence, it fell to me to state her case.  “Akane, that was six years ago,” I stated.  “She’s a different person than she was then, the very fact that she came back for me – and you! – should be enough proof of that, but there’s more.  She took me in when I had nowhere else to go, making sure I was safe and cared for.  Hell, she married me, and I can’t imagine her ever hurting me.  She’s more than made amends for what she did to me, and you can’t reasonably hold her accountable for what Gina did while she was hundreds of miles away.  They’re two separate people, and in and of itself the ability to shrink and grow things is neutral.  Gina used it for malicious purposes, but I know Fulda can and will use it for good.”

A small smile came back to Akane’s thin lips, brightening the sky above us.  “You state a pretty strong case for her, little guy,” she said, “and you’re right, it’s unjust to condemn her for the actions of her sister.  The whole reason I kept her around was to try and redeem her, and while I never could, it sounds like Fulda really has changed her ways.  But I… I can’t make you big, too.  Everyone who knows how to do it has tried, and nothing helps.  We’ve all tried together, too, to no avail.  Don’t you want to be roughly the same size as your wife, even if you’re tiny?”

I looked up at Fulda and smiled, giving her waist a long squeeze before going back to Akane.  “I like being able to hold her like this,” I explained, “I really do.  But it’s not the life she wants, and it’s not the life I want to have with her.  She may not be as obsessed with it as Gina is, but she likes being big and powerful, and to be honest, I like her that way too.  It may sound odd to you, but I like really tall women, the taller the better.  I want her to really tower over me, and… I love being bug-sized in comparison to her.  There’s nothing sexier than her literally having me in the palm of her hand, and while I love her like this too, I don’t love that she’s like this.  So please, make Fulda her normal size again.  For both of us.”

Fulda grabbed me around the abdomen and hoisted me up like a ragdoll.  Her arms nearly crushed my sides while she squeezed me in a bear hug, and I wrapped my legs around her.  She leaned in and pressed her lips to mine in a passionate kiss which I eagerly returned.  We went back and forth, trying to match and surpass each other’s energy, until Fulda finally pulled away and pressed a finger to my chin.  “Thank you,” she whispered with a wavering voice.  “That’s why I love you, little guy.”

Akane cleared her throat, bringing us back to the situation at hand.  “If you love birds are done, I’d like to get you out of the house before growing her.”  We remained still, clutching each other as though we were life preservers, while Akane reached in.  Her fingers settled on the floor in front of and behind us and gently pinched, pressing us together.  Slowly she carried us out of the plastic dollhouse and over the wall, where she set us down on the carpet beside her.  Fulda then lowered me to the floor and stood back as tall as she could.

“Hey!  What about me?” piped up a tiny voice.  “I’m still trapped in here, and everything’s too big for me to use!  Get me out and make me big too!”

Akane’s eye twitched and she glared back into the house.  “You have to be the most oblivious, stubborn person who has ever lived,” she growled.  “You had six months to reform and instead you lied to me and went on a rampage the first chance you got.  There’s no word for how dumb I’d have to be to give you back even a fraction of an inch, let alone set you loose on the world again.  You’re going to spend the rest of your life tiny and under my watchful gaze so you never hurt another person.”

 With Gina put in her place, Akane turned her attention back to us.  “Are you sure?” she asked me.  “And are you ready?”

“Yes,” we answered simultaneously.

“Hold tight, then,” Akane said.  She pressed off the ground with her hands and stood, looking down at us from on high.  I turned around to look at Fulda and we both smiled at each other, then she took a step back.

Focusing on her while she grew was practically indistinguishable from being shrunk.  Gradually my gaze slipped downward along her body while she expanded, and this time I eagerly looked upward so I could watch.  She looked back down at me, her smile getting larger too as I shrank from her waist to her knees.  With each relative inch I lost her joy increased, and by the time I was looking up at her ankles she was beaming.   My apparent shrinking slowed as it took more inches for her to double in size until it finally stopped entirely, with me looking up at the caps of her shoes.

Fulda looked around, overjoyed to be back at her original size.  “I’m big again, I’m big!” Fulda exclaimed, unable to contain her excitement.  “Thank you so much, Akane!  I’d hug you, but, you know, don’t want to crush the little guy.”  She inspected her arms and legs, showing a toothy smile the whole time.  “Am I even taller than normal?!”

“Yeah, I bumped you up to seven feet even,” she answered.  “Think of it as a wedding gift from me.”

Fulda’s eyes widened with a mix of surprise and happiness, then looked down at me between her shoes.  “Fee-fi-fo-fum, my tiny husband,” she boomed, “what do you say we get out of here so I can take off this wedding dress and get into something more comfortable?”

“Don’t ask questions when you know the answer’s yes,” I replied, marveling up at her still.  The only way I wouldn’t get a thrill out of gazing at her from the floor is if I were dead.  I could scarcely notice the four more inches, but we knew they were there. 

“Cheeky,” Fulda chided, leaning over me.  She stopped when her magnificent face was the only thing I could see, and it was already the only thing I wanted to look at.  “Sounds like someone’s getting too big for his tiny little britches.”  Her hand descended toward me with thumb and forefinger extended, and she pinched them around my body.  Excitedly she plucked me off the floor and stood back to her new, even more impressive height, and lifted me to her eyes.  With her free index finger she gave me a light tap and teased, “I’ll have to see about bringing you back down to size.”

Fulda hopped down the stairs and left the overly large house to wait for a ride.  The whole time we looked at each other adoringly, as though we gave each other sustenance.  We were together now, free to build our lives without worrying about ever being separated again.  Amazing as it was, we were one, and she had always been right about me.  And we couldn’t have been happier about it.

I sat perched on Fulda’s shoulder while she watched a linked video from our wedding.  Although we were a far cry from royalty, our ceremony had become an international news sensation with the indisputable proof that people and objects could be grown and shrunken.  All it took was watching Gina loom over the temple or Fulda bouncing into Mia’s hands to convince someone.  If someone needed more, they could look at the shoe imprints thirty feet long in the street, the building that was demolished when they shrunk each other, or the house over a hundred feet tall that took up three lots.  No one could explain it, but they didn’t have to.  They just needed to believe their eyes.

Fulda scrolled down a little.  The video had been posted over six months ago during the initial flurry of activity in the wake of our union.  We were browsing what amounted to a conspiracy theory website, the last refuge for earnest discussion about giantesses aside from online enthusiasts who wanted to believe.  “I thought the cat was out of the bag when Gina pulled that stunt,” Fulda began, making my body vibrate pleasurably, “but it looks like it was a flash in the pan.  People just don’t have enough proof.”

“Who can blame them?” I asked.  “If it hadn’t been my life for so long, I’d doubt it myself.”  I curled a few strands of auburn hair around my arm.  “It does seem like a prank, and that movie about a giant woman attacking Atlanta a month later didn’t help things.”

“And that movie about a man shrinking in a sorority house a few months after that did?” Fulda rebutted, letting out a short laugh.  “How did it feel seeing what could have been your life up on the very big screen?”

“Well, as the only documented shrunken man in existence,” I started, “my consultant contract really helped me accept it, even if they had to change a few things.”

“You mean him getting cured at the end and going back to his original size wasn’t your idea?” Fulda joked.  “I never would have guessed.”

I laughed and responded, “Apparently, him living in a dollhouse by her bed didn’t do well with test audiences.   But, what can you do?  People like a little bit of fantasy in their lives.”

“I thought we’d shown them it was perfectly realistic!” Fulda exclaimed.  “I carried you to enough news and late-night show interviews to show that’s what really happened.”

“All those interviews focused on you!” I jokingly protested.  “Not that I can blame them.  Given the chance, wouldn’t you rather interview a gorgeous, brilliant, funny woman dressed to the nines instead of her husband, who doesn’t even show up in wide-frame shots?”

“Don’t sell yourself short.”  Fulda playfully poked me with a finger, shoving me against her neck.  She held me there while she continued, “You’ve got all that, and you’re plenty interesting to boot!  Plus, how many men under an inch tall can say they helped headline a fitness supplement’s ad campaign?”

“I guess I’m the only one,” I said, “for a couple reasons.  Though I’m pretty sure they really just needed someone to contrast against you as someone who doesn’t take it and you happened to have me in your hand right then.”

“Go on, complain some more,” Fulda teased.  Her thumb wedged between me and her neck, and she moved me to half a foot in front of her brilliant blue eyes so she could see me.  “You should count yourself lucky I didn’t drop you in my mouth during the ‘devour the competition’ shoot.  You looked good, and it’d be a nice demonstration of someone taking the supplement.”  She gave me a quick wink before stroking me with a finger on her free hand.

“With how sweet you keep saying I am, I’m pretty sure you’d get indigestion,” I shot back.  “And if you ate me you’d only be able to smuggle me into work one last time, and I wouldn’t be able to help you test your designs for usability.  Not to mention that you’d have to find someone else to humor you while you peer over the buildings and pretend you’re gigantic, let alone take a dozen pictures of it.”

Fulda’s face lit up in excitement and she reached for her phone on the desk.  “That reminds me!” she shouted before opening Instagram.  “I haven’t checked how our latest batch is doing!”  The app loaded quickly, showing Fulda’s magnificent and apparently enormous face as she looked down at the camera from over a model skyscraper.  With a light swipe of her thumb she scrolled to a shot from ground level, showing her stiletto heels taller than the previous building with her black stockinged legs stretching until the focus became too blurry to see any detail.  They were both approaching a thousand likes, not bad for twelve hours with several thousand followers.

Before she could lock the phone, a banner popped down from the top.  “College is great, just like you said!” Akane texted.  “So glad I spent all that time studying what I missed instead of killing people like Gina.”

“You want to text her back, or should I?” Fulda asked.

“Go ahead,” I said.  “She probably wants a reply sometime today.”

“Suit yourself.”  Fulda drew me closer to herself while lowering me so that I slipped beneath her chin.  She held me against her clavicle and rotated her wrist so I could look forward, then released me.  I slid down her chest until slipping into her cleavage which, with the help of her sports bra and tight tank top, held me firmly.  I got comfortable while Fulda’s thumbs worked up a flurry on the phone’s keyboard.

“Knew you’d love it!” she sent first.  “How’s Gina doing?”

Several seconds passed before a photo of the interior of the dollhouse we’d spent several days in came back with an open locket hanging above, accompanied by the message, “Haven’t let her out of my sight 😊”  To an untrained eye it was just a couple things she owned, but we knew what to look for.  The locket was empty except for a small, sliding glass panel, and a small, black irregularity was by the doll bed.  Anyone else would try to wipe the dirt off their phone, but we knew that was the would-be giantess and goddess.

“Good to see you’re keeping her out of trouble,” Fulda sent.  “Sure I can’t convince you to start a Gamma chapter there?  Jessica can help you get started, and she’s more in line with you now.”

“Yeah, I’m sure,” came a few moments later.  “Just not my scene.  Anyway, back to studying!”  Through months of corresponding, they had been very careful not to directly mention shrinking, growing, or crushing people who had been shrunken.  The truth of my shrinking had never been accurately explained: we had fallen back on an incredibly rare genetic disorder when people inevitably asked.  There were no laws against shrinking people, even though many missing person cases had been changed to “missing, presumed shrunken,” but there was no doubt they could find something to charge my wife with.  Fulda didn’t want to deal with that, and I didn’t want to try to live my life without her.

Fulda sent her back a thumbs-up emoji, then set her phone back on the desk.  “Oh, I got a call from the hospital today,” she said abruptly.  “Those three emaciated girls Akane and Jess brought in after they searched the old house are ready to be released now, they’ve made a full recovery.  Good thing they went back to look at things before bringing it back to normal size, huh?”  She dug her fingers into her cleavage and extracted me from between her breasts, then lifted me so she could see me again.

“Yeah, I guess,” I replied.  Shelby and her friends may have acted like monsters once they had the upper hand, but I could hardly blame them.  They had learned how to act from Gina and given her a taste of her own medicine.  Now that they were back to their normal sizes, I doubted they would get back to their old habits, knowing how traumatizing it could be.  If that failed, Fulda knew all about what they did and was not shy about visiting.

I preferred not to speak about Gina’s victims and brought it back to more immediate matters.  “What did Mia say about coming over for dinner Friday?  It’d be nice for us to all get together while Anni’s still in town.”

“Still got a thing for Anni, huh?  You know we’re married now,” Fulda teased, arching an eyebrow.  She playfully squeezed me between her fingers before continuing.  “Yeah, she’ll bring Jesse and some wine, too.  Think Anni will bring her own tiny man, or should I get one ready for her?”

“If you can find one she’ll like, sure,” I answered.  “She’s pretty discerning.  Tends to look down on every man she comes across.”

“I can relate.”  Fulda winked.  “I wouldn’t set her up with a little man who isn’t at least half as good as you, and that’s a pretty tall order.  Certainly taller than you!”  She lightly jabbed me with a finger and giggled.

“Guess it’s lucky you got to me first, then,” I said.  “Even someone like that could never measure up to how amazing you are.”

“You.  Are.  So.  Sweet,” she proclaimed, making the world rush back and forth between each word as she pressed me against her lips.  Each tremendous kiss made a large smack with lips that covered my whole body, leaving a thin layer of pink gloss all over me.  “You’re right, I’d get sick if I ate you.  Bet you’d crumble like a sugar cube if I stepped on you though.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” I challenged.  I had been busy with freelance work all day and was ready to have some fun.

From her flirtatious look I could tell she felt the same.  Fulda leaned forward and placed me on the floor beside her chair, not wanting to wait for me to go down the slide she set up for me.  She shot up, her chair wheels clattering when her calves shoved it back.  Her brown, rubber soles rushed over my head when she turned to face me, and the ground trembled when they set down on either side of me.  My titanic wife effortlessly slipped into character and glared down at me.  “I’m going to grind you to powder, sweep you up, and put you in my coffee tomorrow, little man,” she boomed.  Our game of “Tiny and Titaness” was my high point most weeks, and she was really getting into it this time.

Fulda raised her leg until her thigh was straight parallel with the ground so her foot hung over me.  She wiggled her foot back and forth, teasing me while she smirked at me on the floor, knowing that she could get me no matter where I went.  Suddenly her shoe rushed toward me, with one of the diamonds under the ball of her foot centered right on me.  It grew in my view until even she couldn’t be seen around the sole, then jerked to the right.  Her shoe slammed into the ground with a tremendous crash that would have split the ground were she an actual giantess.  As it was, I stumbled sideways into her shoe and had to lean on the white rubber for support.

With a single flick she knocked me down, and her shoe continued rotating on its heel until the sole was back over me.  Slowly it came down, and I could see every tiny bubble and scrape in the rubber as it came closer.  Inevitably it set down atop me, pressing down my nose first before it laid across my whole body, pinning me to the ground.  Less than a quarter of an inch is all that kept me from being flattened beneath her gargantuan shoe, and her weight was gradually increasing.

Suddenly, the shoe lifted, and Fulda quickly moved it aside.  She set it down carefully a foot away from me and looked at me tenderly.  “Love you, tiny,” she cooed, and blew me a kiss.

“Love you too, giantess,” I said back.  All things considered it was an ideal existence.  As it turned out, her shrinking me in a rage at our senior prom was the best thing she could’ve done for either of us, and we moved forward into our new lives together without regrets.