When Jennifer was only nine years old, she faced a moment in her life that would shape how she approached hardship forever. Her dog had managed to escape from their backyard and had gone missing. She wept heavily for hours after learning her dog had escaped. When her father came home from work later that day, she raced to him to cry on his chest.

"Why are you crying, sweetie?" her father had gently asked, his voice soothing despite the urgency of the situation.

Amidst her hiccups laced with tears, Jennifer had replied, "My doggy is gone."

Her father's response was a lesson that would resonate throughout her lifetime. "Well, is crying going to bring your doggy home?"

It was a little life-lesson that Jennifer would carry with her always. The way she chose to react to obstacles, became an important trait she’d use all her life. There were multiple ways of reacting to disasters, but they boiled down to two choices: either panic or take action.

When her dog went missing, she could’ve continued sobbing and become fixated on questions like: who had failed to secure the backyard gate? Or why her mother hadn't brought the dog inside earlier? She could’ve played Captain Hindsight, and dreamed of scenarios that would’ve prevented her dog from escaping. But asking such questions and the power of hindsight did not solve the problem of the missing dog. What could solve the problem, was to go out and search for her dog herself.

Now, thrust into the current situation she finds herself in, of being stranded in an alternate dimension on an uncharted Earth, Jennifer found herself echoing the wisdom her father had imparted. While the circumstances were vastly different, the essence of her response remained unchanged: panic or or take action.

Though she was still passed out on the beach, Jennifer’s mind worked in the background to assess the expedition’s predicament.

First step, determine if there are any potential threats. Anton mentioned that they were traveling to an uninhabited world. But did they account for micro-organisms. Could that be an issue? The local fauna would also have to be assessed for any dangers like poisons. The temperature felt good. Lots of warmth and humidity. At least she won’t freeze to death.

Second, find a fresh water source. Jennifer knew the human body could endure a maximum of three days without water. She didn’t want to test that theory out or even go without water for a day. She’d need to find something fast and pray that the water in this world is drinkable. She had a small water bottle with her in her satchel. That would help immensely.

Step three was actually two-fold. She needed to find the other scientists and find food. Finding food wasn’t super important, as she knew she could fast for 30 days before things got ugly. But finding the others and insuring no one was seriously hurt or without water was a priority. She could scavenge for food while searching for them.

After her survival, and the survival of her companions are secured, then she could worry about things like getting back home. Of course there was a possibility that all this exercise of mapping out her survival was futile. For all she knows, Sarah could be readjusting the inter-dimensional remote to translocate them back home that very minute. But that wasn’t something she was willing to bet on. Murphy’s Law and all. No, she felt more comfortable to be prepared for the worst.

“Honey?” She whispered through a hoarse voice. “Babe, we need to figure out if we’re safe out here or not.” Her eyes slowly opened. Her vision was blurred and unable discern anything in particular. She could tell she was out in the open and that the sun was up. “Honey?” She tried to roll over but was stopped by some inexplicable force. “What the heck?” Jennifer started to awaken faster. Adrenaline starting to ooze into her veins.

Come on Jen, assess the situation, she repeated to herself. She was still on her back, but she was spread-eagle. Not normally a position she finds herself sleeping in. There was something around her wrists and ankles. Little wires? Almost felt like a thick chain you’d find on a necklace was wrapped around her extremities and tied down to something. She shifted her body and felt more these strings going across her chest, stomach, waist, thighs, forearms, and biceps. She squirmed again and felt these restraints only budge slightly.

Her fingers dug into the sand. It didn’t feel like the sand back home. It was as fine as powdered sugar but didn’t stick to her skin. Her clothes were dry and a little stiff from from the ocean water. Jennifer listened for those telltale signs she was at the beach. Seagulls, ocean waves crashing into the shore … she could hear these things, but they sounded — distant. No, they sounded like their volume was turned down. The breeze was the only reassuring sign that caressed her senses. Yes, she was in another dimension, but everything seemed off. Wait, were those seagulls? Wasn’t she on in an uninhabited world?

“Babe, what’s going on?” She asked as she turned to face her fiancé to the right. What she saw shocked her. His body was tied up with what appeared to be iron chains. But these chains were no thicker than a drinking straw. He had chains throughout his whole body. Although Jennifer couldn’t see her own body, she could tell Anton was way more tied down than she was. “Anton, what happened to you?” He was facing her with teary eyes and looking rough. There was a gag in his mouth of crumpled up cloth.

Assess the situation. Jennifer looked over his body for injuries. His shirt was ripped in several places. He was bleeding in various spots around the side of his body. It also looked like his face was battered, but with what? Jennifer’s mind raced to figure out what weapon could cause such intricate wounds. Did Freddy Kruegar lacerate his face? But those wounds weren’t deep at all. Maybe a cat. “Babe, what happened?” She needed to know, because if there was an active threat around them, it would have to be managed immediately.

Anton could only groan. He then directed Jennifer to look North of their heads, by shifting his eyes upwards. And that’s when Jennifer saw them. Humanoids about three inches in height were standing all around the beach and all around their bodies. How did she not spot them before, she asked herself. More adrenaline flowed in her veins. Quicker her heart pulsed. Nothing in life could’ve possibly prepared her for this situation she found herself. Wait a second…washed up on a beach, little people tying me down like giant. It’s like that book! These are, agh, what the hell were they called? Lilliputians! We went into a dimension where Lilliputians exist!

“Hey!” Jennifer called out. Her voice bellowed so loudly compared to their tiny ears, every Lilliputian she could see jumped up at the same time. It would’ve been a little funny if the circumstances were different. With a softer voice Jennifer asked, “hey, can you guys untie me? There’s no need for this. We come in peace.” Jennifer’s mind raced with possibilities of interacting with such a tiny race of humanoids. She could use her size to help them in so many ways, like creating irrigation, constructing buildings, paving roads, you name it. She looked over at Anton who was solemnly shaking his head softly. Jennifer scrunched her brows as she thought about what this meant.

A Lilliputian walked up to Jennifer’s face offering her chance to get a really good look at them up close. Remarkably, they looked exactly human — only they were three inches tall. The Lilliputian had a tanned skin, possibly from working under the sun all day. He appeared to be military. Wearing a uniform that Jennifer could only compare to British Red Coats from history class. Black, knee-height boots. White-grey pants. Red Coats, with black trims. And a black cap with long feathers pointed straight up. This Lilliputian looked important. He had gold trimming around his cuffs and hat. His belly was stretching out his uniform around the waist. He was also caring a cane that was as white as snow.

“I mean no harm, you can untie me.” Jennifer said softly at Lilliputian military man before her. She offered a nervous smile to show she was gentle.

He started speaking, and Jennifer was elated she could clearly hear his voice despite his size. But was immediately disappointed she couldn’t understand a single word he was saying. The language was unlike anything she’s ever heard.

“Oh darn, I can’t understand you.” She said slowly, enunciating every word clearly, thinking it would help Lilliputian understand her. “Anybody here speaks English?”

Though language wasn’t universal, body language sure was. The Lilliputian hadn’t stopped speaking in his strange tongue and his speech was growing louder in every moment that passed. He looked angry. His chest was puffed up, standing straight and as tall as he could. He looked almost disgusted for speaking to Jennifer. His grip on his cane tightened as continued to belt something at Jennifer’s giant face. She thought it was awful brave for Lilliputian to act like this in face of a giant. What if I wasn’t nice? Jennifer thought.

“I don’t know what you’re saying. Please let me go. I’ll just free myself if you don’t do it.” Jennifer tried to maintain a smile, but it may have come off disingenuous as the situation grew tiresome. As Jennifer spoke, the Lilliputian didn’t cease whatever tirade he was on. He only shouted louder to overcome Jennifer’s soft voice. Even lifting his cane to point her when emphasizing certain words.

Finally, when it seemed his speech crescendoed to it’s loudest point, he used his cane to strike the tip of Jennifer’s nose. This caused Jennifer to recoil back suddenly, an innocent move on her part. But seeing a massive being move so quickly, so sharply caused the Lilliputians to shudder. The Lilliputian leader tried to maintain his military composure despite twitching when Jennifer jerked back.

“You little shit. Free me right now.” On that last word, Jennifer tried to pull herself up and break away from the chains that binded her. Surprisingly, the chains held. They did give in a little, making the binding feel a little looser around her body.

The Lilliputian shouted orders to his men. They jumped into action and soon there was activity all around Jennifer’s body. Jennifer heard the whinny of a horse and saw a Lilliputian riding a brown stallion in front of her. “Oh, that’s so cute,” she couldn’t help but say out loud. The horse was dragging a chain behind it, and working it’s way around Jennifer’s colossal body. “Wait stop, this isn’t fun anymore guys. I need to help Anton and find the others.” She looked over at her fiancé who had a look of dread in his eyes.

Looking around Jennifer could see the other Lilliputians weren’t dressed like the pompous one that struck her on the nose. The majority seemed to belong to a military force, as they all seemed to be wearing a uniform. Brown leather coats, belts or some kind of straps across their chests, hats, black boots, and brown trousers. They seemed stuck in Colonial times. She couldn’t see any guns. She definitely saw swords, pikes, and spears. The Lilliputians standing far from the beach had bows. A whole lot of medieval weaponry, but their armor wasn’t metal as to protect themselves from the same weaponry. Jennifer’s mind absorbed everything she witnessed and let it process in the background.

Aside from the militarized Lilliputians, she could see there were civilians around. Probably there to witness the two giants that washed up ashore. They looked like simple peasants. Maybe farmers.

If she was chained up on the beach, what was she actually chained up to? It’s not like these chains were strapped down to sand. Jennifer looked down the length of her arm and saw that these chains were wrapped around a massive boulder. Well, massive to the Lilliputians. Probably softball-size to Jennifer. Some chains did look like they went under the sand. Maybe tied down to buried rock or the Earth itself. Strange how Jennifer was having a hard time getting up. It was probably the fact that there were so many chains, that they were contributing to her immovability by an unknown factor. Anton was way more chained up than she was, so he was completely vulnerable in his situation. And if Jennifer didn’t do anything soon, she’d be like him. The horse had already made a pass around her long body, wrapping another chain around her waist.

The pompous Lilliputian made another order to a soldier holding a pike. “Okay, stop this.” Jennifer said while fidgeting in her binds. The pike man saluted the pompous one, and went over to cauldron. He removed the lid and dipped the pointy end of the pike into it. “I’ve had enough. What are you doing?” The pike man twirled his weapon inside the cauldron and pulled it out. There was some neon-green, slop on it. “What the hell is that? What are you doing?”

Again, the pike man dipped the pointy end inside the pot. Again, he pulled it out, twirling the pike so that this green sticky substance accumulated at the end. It almost appeared like he was about to do some glass blowing. “What is that stuff?” Jennifer asked worryingly. “Anton, do you know what that is?” He didn’t say anything. Tears streamed from his eyes as he tried to say something through his gag. The pike man was finished with whatever he was doing with the pot. The end of the pike had a considerable amount green molasses on it. “Anton what are they doing?” Tears out of nowhere started spilling out of Jennifer.

Anton mumbled something through his gag. “Mphmm, Mm wumpp umph.”

“Anton, babe what are you saying?” More tears from Jennifer. “Hey, hey what is that shit? What are you doing?” She raised her voice to the Lilliputian holding the pike, but she went largely ignored.

Anton started to struggle in his bindings, but hardly moved. He seemed lethargic and bound tight. The pike man reached Anton’s shoulder.

“Okay, okay, listen, I’m sorry. I don’t know what I did, I’m sorry. Please stop, whatever you’re doing. Stop. Please, please. Babe, honey, it’s going to be okay. The wedding is around the corner, can you imagine it?” Jennifer let out a cry mixed with a laugh. “It’s around the corner. We’ll be there with all our friends and family. It’s going to be magical.” She was near hysterics.

The pike man was standing in front of an exposed area of Anton’s shoulder. He held the pike at waist-level. Aiming the pointy end with the green slop at Anton.

“Please stop. I don’t know what that is. Stop. Stop!” She looked up at Anton. He had a look of regret. Sadness. He tried mumbling something again. Three words. Jennifer knew what it was. “I love you.”

The Lilliputian with the pike let out a war cry and charged at Anton. The end of the pike entered Anton’s shoulder with no resistance. The green substance being swallowed in by his wound. The pike man was relentless, he kept shoving the pike deeper and deeper, inch by inch.

“Anton, please!” Jennifer cried out loudly. “It’s not bad. They’re just messing with us. It’s going to be okay.”

Strange guttural sounds came from Anton as if he was choking on something. The effects of the poison were immediate. He started convulsing. His head turned away from Jennifer and looked back up at the sky. His muscle spasms became violent but held back by the chains wrapped around his body.

“Fight it babe.” Jennifer barely managed to say through her cries. “You have to fight it. You can’t die. You can’t die. This isn’t happening, none of this is real. Babe? Babe? Look at me. Honey, please, please look at me!”

Jennifer yanked and pulled at her chain. There was more give, but they held her place. There was a lot of commotion amongst the Lilliputians. Another soldier patted the back of the pike man that administered the poison. Jennifer called out to Anton who was still convulsing. Were they cheering? Jennifer chose to ignore the little people and kept calling out to Anton.

Anton’s convulsion stopped. His body sunk into the ground. His eyes fell back into their socket. His breath was no more, his heart ceased.

“Babe?” Jennifer could only manage to whisper. She had held her breath as she witnessed her fiancé’s last moments alive. “Are you there babe?” Her vision was completely blurred by all the tears. “Honey?” Nothing. She knew he was dead.

Jennifer cried. She closed her eyes. More tears ran down the side of her face. Her breath became shallow as the horror of what she witnessed came crashing down on her. This wasn’t like that book. The Lilliputians just murdered the love of her life. Her eyes remained shut as she cried for Anton. She sniffed some runny mucus and opened her eyes to take another look at Anton and confirm his demise. He was gone, but aside from that, the Lilliputians were up to something.

Jennifer had to practice forbearance and stop crying. The Lilliputians, what were they doing, Jennifer asked herself. Some were cheering; the sick animals. Some were working on her chains that got loose. The pike man. That little worm. He was holding another pike and already dipping it into the cauldron. She was next.

“What did you do?” She asked. “Why are you doing this?” Come on Jen, this is the right choice here. Is asking these questions going to resolve your situation. What’s the right choice here? Action.

The Lilliputian pike man grabbed the poison tipped weapon and started making his way towards Jennifer. Jennifer then let out a scream. Actually, more of shout. A war cry. And it was loud. She shouted until her breath was gone. The Lilliputians fell to their feet as they put their hands to their ears. Four of the closest Lilliputians to Jennifer suffered permanent hearing loss.

Jennifer took this moment of them being stunned for her next move. She shifted her hip under the chains so that it was on its side. Difficult to do with the bindings at her extremities and the fact that she was spread-eagle. But there was enough slack so that she could partially rotate her body.

Some of the chains snapped. With all the strength she could muster, she rotated her body even more. Her chest was now facing the Lilliputian gaggle, to include that pike-man worm. Her left arm, which was behind her body, was still strapped to a boulder.

The pike man quickened his movement. Jennifer saw this and shouted, “get back!” Her thunderous outcry was enough to send the Lilliputians on their backs. Her hot, moist breath slammed them like a truck. Spittle from her shout pelted their uniforms like hail.

Jennifer pulled her left arm with enough force until she felt the boulder around her fingertips. She leaned back until she could grab hold of this rock, which to her was the size of a bowling ball, however, it was certainly heavier than one. This is where all those Turkish get-ups [it’s an exercise] at the gym came in handy.

The Lilliputians returned to their feet. Two of them helped the pike man get back up and pushed him towards Jennifer. The Lilliputians saw that situation was deteriorating fast. If they didn’t subdue Jennifer now, there was going to be severe consequences. Not just from Jennifer, but their command leadership too. A sense of urgency coursed through everyone, Jennifer included. The pike man looked fierce. He shouted as he held the pike tightly within his fists. He started making a mad dash through the sand towards the giantess. The tip of the pike oozing with the neon-green poison. Sure to kill a giantess in less than a minute. He savored the moment. In no time, she’ll be taking her last breath. Two of the biggest giants they ever seen, down by him. The party that would be thrown that night would be out of this world. He’ll never have to buy a drink again in the pub, people from all over town would clamor to buy drinks for the man who took down two giants. He’ll be given a medal for his bravery. Accolades galore.

His pike was making a bee line for Jennifer. His target only a few paces away. The poison-tipped spear dripped as if it was salivating, waiting to feast on the behemoth’s meaty shoulder. The pike man was so tunneled with his target, he never noticed the mammoth-sized boulder coming down from the heavens.

His body and weapon vanished under the crash of the giant rock. He was struck with enough force, that it sent his body and soul into another plane of existence. Crushed so quickly and so fiercely, his nervous system didn’t have a chance to process his death. The Lilliputians collectively gasped. The giantess has freed herself. And she was pissed.

There was no time to think. They grabbed their swords and whatever weapon they had and charged Jennifer. The remaining chains were those around her waist, thighs, the ones around her ankle, and the one around her right wrist.

Jennifer’s rage ratcheted to 11. Her skin felt hot and her mind was hyper focused on exacting vengeance upon these demons. Murder and attempted murder? Diplomacy was out the door. She was going to bring forth the consequences of their despicable action. She used her free hand to hook a finger on the chains in her hand and give it a twist, until the chains buckled and snapped under the contortion. In one smooth movement, Jennifer grabbed the boulder that was tied to her right hand. She flexed her powerful leg muscles, snapping the chains around her thighs and then splintered the chains around her waist with a hooked thumb. She stood up.

A volley of arrows were shot in the air towards her. She dodged them the best she could even though she was still strapped by the ankles. Half a dozen arrows struck her. Her clothing stopped some, but a few arrows were able to pierce the skin causing Jennifer to wail in pain from by the needle-sized projectiles.

Her legs were still spread wide. She yanked hard on her right leg and was able to break free. As she broke free, she used the momentum to spin around, hurling the boulder in her hand as if she was a Shot Put athlete. The stone struck the beach and like a terrifying bowling ball, fatally mowed down half a dozen Lilliputian soldiers. She snapped the chains around her other ankle and was finally free from her bondage.

There was now officially pandemonium on the beach. The military broke ranks. Some charged Jennifer, others retreated. The civilians quickly dipped and ran out into the fields beyond the beach. The bow man in the back continued sending volley’s of arrows into the sky.

Jennifer snarled at the Lilliputian as she took a quick moment to survey the battlefield. The foot soldiers with their swords and spears were easy to avoid. A small step for her was considerable distance for the Lilliputians. That, plus trying to traverse the sandy beach put them at a disadvantage. The real problem was the bow man and a terrifying piece of hardware that was next to them.

There were at least 5 ballistas next to them — they looked like giant crossbows, shooting a large arrows with an iron-tipped triangle at its point. To Jennifer, this arrow was as thick as a 50 caliber bullet. It was bigger than a Lilliputian and appeared to be made with the trunk of a small tree. Jennifer figured getting hit with one of these things could be fatal. They had to be taken out first.

Jennifer kicked at the ground, sending an avalanche of sand on the charging Lilliputians. She took a step forward, purposefully crushing two Lilliputian soldiers under her boot. One of the ballistas launched a bolt, careening only a few inches from Jennifer’s waist. The projectile was so big, and going through the air so fast, Jennifer could hear and feel it whiz by. She reached down and grabbed a clump of sand and what felt like a few Lilliputian soldiers. She hurled the mass at the ballista that fired at her. The flying soldiers and sand struck the operators, but the wooden structure still stood.

The Lilliputians let out their cries. Whether it was a war cry or a cry of fear. The beach was filled with sounds of mayhem. But these sounds paled in comparison to Jennifer’s shouts. “You killed him!” She kicked, turning a couple more soldiers into nothing more that red mist. “You pieces of shit!”

More arrows struck Jennifer. Again, her hiking-styled clothing managed to suppress some of the arrows. However, some lucky shots did manage to puncture her skin.

Jennifer took two charging steps and leapt into the sky. What the Lilliputians saw defied all logic. How could something so hulking fly into the air so gracefully. The bow men were in awe and failed to realize the colossal woman was on a trajectory to land upon them. Jennifer crushed 8 of them instantly upon landing. She then shot both her hands out, gripping three in each hand. She squeezed. She couldn’t hear their screams over the sounds of her shouts. “You didn’t have to kill him!” The Lilliputians imploded in her crushing grip.

Jennifer reached one of the ballistas and lifted it over her head, catapulting two of the Lilliputian operators into the air. She then brought the ballista down unto another with enough force, it would make Thor proud. Both wooden structures exploded in a cacophonous blast that reverberated throughout the beach. Wooden shrapnel burst in all directions, impaling those unfortunate to be close enough. Amidst the aftermath of the weapons demise, came Jennifer’s roar, laid on thick with her fury.

The other 3 surviving ballistas fired one after another. Jennifer dodge two of them. The third struck her purse with enough force to send her reeling back, falling on her butt in the process.

It hurt. Whatever happened hurt. Laying on her back, Jennifer looked down and saw the bolt poking out from her satchel. Upon further examination, she could see that the bolt went through her satchel, through her thick-plastic water bottle, through her blouse, and into her lower hip.

She could hear the Lilliputians cheering in the background. She winced in pain as she pulled the bolt out. It appeared that it didn’t go deep at all. Still, it was enough to cause her to bleed.

Jennifer scrambled up on her feet, to the dismay of the cheering Lilliputians. The ballistas were readying for another attack. Instead of charging them head on, she ran off to the side, flanking them. She winced as the wound on her hip sent electrical pangs throughout her body.

The ballistas sent more bolts whizzing through the air. But the Lilliputians were unable to accurately lead Jennifer. The three bolts landed out in the distance, missing their mark by miles. Jennifer took this opportunity to charge at the siege weapons head-on. The Lilliputian operators abandoned the machines as Jennifer’s giant boots stomped on two of the ballistas and kicked the third.

The operators of the siege weapon were in full retreat. But Jennifer wasn’t going to let these little guys get off so easily. As she approached them, the vibrations from each colossal footfall reverberated through the ground, sending tremors coursing through their bodies, their chests echoing with the unmistakable pulse of her presence. With a hand still pressing down on her wound, Jennifer looked down at them. They fell to their knees and pleaded something in their language. Looking up at the giantess, the Lilliputians only saw the angel of death; filled with rage and void of mercy.

“As an ambassador from Earth, let me show you how we deal with murderous demons.” Jennifer lifted her foot high and brought them down on the pleading Lilliputians. The treads on her boots shredded their body into grounded meat. She then twisted the toe-end of her boots on another pair of crying Lilliputians. She repeated this several times until there were no more long-range attacking Lilliputians.

Looking around, she saw that pompous Lilliputian — the one struck her nose and gave the order to kill Anton — was off in the distance, riding a white horse and surrounded by his men. Beyond him, maybe 10 feet away (in Jennifer’s perspective) was an advancing army of hundreds of Lilliputians and at least two dozen ballistas. “Shit.”

The pompous Lilliputian who was some kind of General saw Jennifer’s realization that she was heavily unmatched. The General gave Jennifer a wave with a proud smile, as if to rub in her face that she clearly lost the battle.

So this was it, she thought. This little prick is reinforcing his army and coming after her — and probably won’t stop coming after her until she’s dead. What was expected of her? Retreat and fight back a later day? Would this General Dick be around for future skirmishes. He didn’t look like the type, Jennifer thought. He looked like a coward. The type that orders others to get their hand’s bloody with murder, while he prances around his white horse. Look at him. Smug piece of shit. He was sending hundreds of Lilliputians to fight one woman while he sits back. And what if the army fails? He’ll just send more waves of his men to die at her hands.

If Jennifer ever gets close to this General in the future, he’ll probably slip away like the rat he is. Putting his army between her and him every time. A wall of Lilliputian flesh that Jennifer would have to overcome each time. This would create revenge quest that would take Jennifer countless months and battles to achieve, and that’s if she gets lucky and finds him separated from the vast army.

Or…

Jennifer grinned. This caused unease in the soldiers, to include the General. She then waved back at the General. Held up a middle finger — which she knew meant nothing to the Lilliputians, but was satisfying nonetheless — and began charging.

Orders were barked. Bow men readied their weapons. Swords and pikes were lifted in the ready position. The ballistas stopped their march and began loading bolts.

Jennifer charged at the General and his men like football player getting ready kick a field goal. She gave zero regards the Lilliputian military surround the General. The smarter soldiers laid their weapons and jumped out of Jennifer’s way. Others were flattened under her charging stomps.

The General pulled the reins of his horse and attempted to get out of there but it was of no use. Jennifer’s long strides propelled her to the General in matter of seconds. Once upon the General, she kicked as if kicking a soccer ball. The side of her booted foot struck him, his horse, and two other officers. Their mangled corpses turned to spaghetti. Their remains being sent into the air and raining down on the advancing army.

The Lilliputians were stunned.

Without slowing down, Jennifer ran off in the direction of the wilderness, trampling and crushing more Lilliputians as she did so. They failed to launch a single arrow at her.

-

Jennifer's feet felt the soft, alien grass beneath her as she stumbled deeper into the woods. Each step was filled with a mix of disbelief and grief. The sight of Anton, the love of her life, murdered so casually by those demonic Lilliputians. The scene replayed in her mind like a cruel, unending loop. Anton’s muffled I love you would be a memory imprinted in her mind forever.

This couldn’t be happening.

Her knees gave way, and she fell to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. The grief she set aside while fighting off the Lilliputians finally caught up with her. The reality that she would never marry Anton, hear his voice, grow old together, have kids — all gone in an instant. She let out a wail as she felt her heart shatter. There was no mending, no repairing that could ever fix the pain she felt then.

An uncertain amount of time passed. Her anguish cries turned to a gentle sobs. She took a deep, shaky breath, feeling the foreign air fill her lungs. It was crisp with a hint of sweetness she couldn't identify. Her surroundings seemed both eerily familiar and yet alien.

Trees, looking like the mighty oaks and pines of Earth, were all around her. Though these were mature trees, the tallest tree only came up to her chest. The flora seemed to shimmer, with leaves and flowers subtly changing hues as they swayed in the gentle breeze.

The blue skies, the white clouds, the warmth of the sun, they all reminded her of home. Birds, or what she assumed were this world's equivalent, sang songs that felt both familiar and strange. Their melodies were eerily dissonant, with tones she couldn’t quite place.

She got up on her feet and began wandering, trying to put as much distance between herself and the Lilliputians as possible. The top of her head poked above the canopy of oak trees and felt somewhat exposed. She walked towards thicker forests with ancient trees that rivaled her height. It was beautiful, miniature forest. If only the experiment translocated them here, maybe they would’ve stood a chance against those barbaric creatures. She knew Sarah would’ve gone nuts, studying these miniature trees with otherworldly properties.

A thought was nagging Jennifer. Was this a parallel universe, or did they somehow transport themselves to that fairy book tale? The Lilliputians seemed prepared to deal with a giant, did they not? Was she the first? Didn’t seem likely.

Stopping by a grove, she leaned against a thin tree, its bark cool against her heated skin. Tears welled up in her eyes, the weight of her loss pressing down on her again. Anton’s smile, his laughter, the way his eyes would light up when she entered the room … memories now shattered by a tiny, poison-tipped spear. She placed both hands up to her face and sobbed.

But beyond the grief, an overwhelming confusion reigned. Her analytical mind tried to find logic, a way to make sense of this madness. The last thing she remembered was Anton explaining the experiment. How they were supposed to be on a world with no living creatures. Not a horror-styled fairy tale world where savage Lilliputians existed. Gulliver sure got that detail fucking wrong in his story.

A soft rustling drew her attention. Glancing down, she spotted a tiny creature; it was about the size of her pinky fingernail and looked like a squirrel. It seemed curious, its tiny eyes observing her, seemingly unafraid of the giantess starring back at it. The thing reminded of her home, but at the same time symbolized she was in an alien world given its uncanny appearance, with long body and even longer tail.

Jennifer took another deep breath, trying to steady herself. Mourning Anton would come. Trying to make sense of what went wrong would come. But for now, she needed to focus on surviving.

The little creature scurried off, and she decided to follow. Perhaps it would lead her to food, water, or even just a distraction from the overwhelming emotions threatening to consume her.

-

The forest seemed to thicken, its shadows deeper, the undergrowth more tangled. Every rustling leaf or distant bird call alarmed Jennifer, her adrenaline still coursing from the earlier confrontation with the Lilliputians.

She lost track of that squirrel-like creature. Instead, she resorted to wondering through the forest. She looked in her satchel and pulled out her water bottle. The thick plastic still had the bolt in it from earlier. All the water in it, had been drained. Jennifer was tempted to toss it, but decided to keep it. There was no telling if could be useful later.

Water. Where can I find you? She asked herself. Looking over the forest’s canopy, Jennifer could see a mountain range not to far. She had hopes that maybe these mountain were covered with snow in the winter, and now offered a stream from the melt during the warmer seasons. That is, if this alien world had seasons.

She walked, keeping alert for any Lilliputians that may be wondering the area. Sure they were three inches in height, but they proved to be formidable. It was best avoiding them for now. Fortunately, the overgrowth in the forest suggested it was seldom traversed.

Jennifer paused to check on her wound. It didn’t look too bad. There was a lot of dried blood, but at least the bleeding stopped. If wasn’t for her satchel or thick-plastic water bottle, then those little fuckers might have brought her down. Those weapons they had were not things to underestimate.

The day was ending. The sun wasn’t far from the horizon, and Jennifer was still lost in the woods. She would stop walking at times and just listen. Listen for running water.

She continued walking in a direction that seemed promising. The forest eventually opened up to reveal a sunlit clearing, and there, like a shimmering mirage, flowed a gentle stream. To the Lilliputians, this would resembled a vast river.

Around the water's edge, tiny creatures that reminded her of boars and deer quenched their thirst. They were smaller versions of their Earthly counterparts, with features slightly exaggerated - the deer had larger, luminous eyes while the boars' tusks were more prominent. At the sight of Jennifer, they scattered in a hurried flurry, darting into the underbrush with soft rustlings.

Gently lowering herself to her hands and knees, she leaned down, pausing momentarily. The thought crossed her mind - is this shit safe to drink? She whispered a silent plea, hoping against all odds that the water wouldn't be toxic to her. Taking a cautious sip, she tasted the water's purity. It was clear, revitalizing, and instantly refreshing. Emboldened, she drank deeply, each gulp quenching her parched throat. She drank until her stomach was filled, not realizing just how desperately thirsty she was.

Jennifer walked not too far from the stream and found a comfortable spot lay down. It grew darker and the sounds of nocturnal creatures filled her ears. If this was a normal-sized forest, she would do more. Make a fire. Hunt one of those boars. Build a shelter. But she was well over a hundred feet tall. What the hell was she supposed to do at that height? She reckoned she could make a fire, but a fire suited for her would be gigantic bonfire to the little people. Might as well build a lighthouse for the Lilliputians to know exactly where she was.

Jennifer crossed her arms and looked up at the stars. They were of a familiar night sky. More stars in the sky, given the fact there wasn’t any light pollution there. Luckily for Jennifer, the night wasn’t cold. It was still hot and muggy. She looked over her body and pulled out Lilliputian arrows from her clothes, flicking them off in the forest as she did so. Her body hurt and ached, but she’d been through worse. She undid the laces of her boots and took them off along with her socks, draping them over a tree to dry. She laid back down and wiggled her toes. Letting her feet breathe was just as refreshing as drinking that crisp water.

Jennifer knew the next few days would be crucial. She had to figure out what happened to the others. She had to figure out how to get back to her dimension. At that moment her stomach decided to growl insistently like a discontented beast. She had to find food.