Five weeks later, and Joseph still couldn’t believe how quickly everything had happened. Susie’s cabin had gotten a partial makeover: instead of one bed, it now contained two. Furniture had to be moved around a bit, but the place did have enough space after all. Of course, Susie was the only thing around strong enough to help out in these regards, and, with her help, everything became much easier.

Just as her father had predicted, Susie was against the idea of sharing her space, until she heard who she would be sharing it with. The thought of meeting another person like herself had sent her into a constant state of excitement. This had been her lifelong dream, since she was old enough to realize how different she was. Finally, she had the chance to feel what everyone around her took for what granted. It didn’t matter that the girl was almost five years younger than her; to Susie, Emma was already a best friend, only one she hasn’t met yet.

The day came when Emma’s parents arrived, and Susie became even more excited. Listening to them talk about how wonderful their daughter was, she could almost picture in her mind what their first meeting will be like. Then Emma’s mother told her about Emma’s reluctance to come and stay here, and Susie promised her that she’d do everything to make Emma feel right at home. Thankfully, the media wouldn’t be there to interfere, since they’d already been allowed to visit the Air Force base, and were having a field day there.

Finally, on the second last day of September, the big moment arrived. Susie sat alone in her cabin, nearly bursting with anticipation. Though all her friends had wanted to be here with her, she made the choice to introduce them to Emma later. She reckoned Emma had enough to worry about already, and wanted to keep their first meeting a simple one. She might also be tired, after having been cooped up in that airplane for the last seven hours, and maybe she wouldn’t be in the mood to socialize.

The door stood open, but no-one had arrived yet. Susie yawned, and realized that she herself was rather tired, a result of several nights spent awake in excitement. It was nearly three o’clock in the afternoon. Just then she heard the sound of footsteps outside. Not teeny-tiny footsteps, like normal people would make, and which she wouldn’t have heard anyway. There was a sound like that of heavy bags being put down on the ground, and then Emma entered the house. She looked straight at Susie, and the amazement on their faces was clearly visible to each of them.

“Oh, er, hello,” Susie said, before deciding she couldn’t keep it in any longer. She ran over to Emma and lifted her up in a great big hug. For once she didn’t have to be super careful with her massive strength. She put Emma back down, and the younger girl stood there for a while, taken aback at what had just happened. Then she broke out into laughter, and gave Susie a hug of her own.

“You’re just as awesome as they said you were!” she said, looking up at someone for the first time in her life.

“Er, who’s ‘they’?” Susie asked.

“My parents and…and your dad, too! They said you were the nicest person they’ve ever met. I didn’t believe them!”

“Oh, I’m not that awesome,” Susie said, trying to be humble, but secretly delighted. “Hey, er, can I give you a hand? Those bags look pretty heavy.”

“Nah, they’re just my clothes and stuff. Can I put them…oh, is that my bed?”

“Yes, we just finished it two days ago. Do you like it?”

Emma flopped down on the 110-foot bed. The mattress was harder than her old one back at the base, but it was still comfortable enough to her liking.

“I’ve never seen a forest before,” she said. “Not in real life, anyway. Can I, you know, walk around in it and stuff? Explore?”

“Sure! There’s a fence, but that’s just to keep other people out. You can go anywhere you want. I’ll even show you around, if you like.”

“Awesome! Can we go now?”

“Uh, I’m sorry, but I can’t. Our parents will be along in half an hour, to make sure everything’s okay up here. It’ll get dark soon after that, so you’ll have to wait till tomorrow. I promise, I’ll show you everything there is to see. Have your parents told you where they’ll be staying?”

Emma nodded. Her mom and dad had rented a small cottage-like house on the outskirts of the town. She hadn’t seen it yet, but her dad had given her detailed instructions, and she was certain Susie could help her find it. After her plane had landed, the only thing she’d seen so far was the forest that bordered the road. A jeep had driven in front of her to show her which way she should go.

“So, how long will you be staying?” Susie asked.

“Huh?”

“Your mom told me you only wanted to stay for a few days. Is that true?”

Emma blushed a little. It was true that she hadn’t been enthusiastic about leaving her old room, but now that she was actually her, and had seen for herself how great the place was, she’d changed her mind.

“Well, uh, I…” she began. Susie interrupted her by laughing.

“Look, you’re more than welcome to stay here as long as you like,” she said. “I’m glad you changed your mind, really! Here, let me help you unpack your stuff…hey!”

To her surprise Emma had come up to her and given her another hug. Susie sat down on her bed, with Emma sitting down in her lap, arms wrapped tightly around her.

“What was that for?” Susie asked, wondering if it was something she’d said.

“Oh, I…I just wanted to…to feel what it’s like, to have someone hold me like this…”

Susie knew exactly how the little girl felt. Her own childhood had been just as lonely and friendless, with no-one who could hold her in their arms and comfort her when she was feeling sad. Emma pressed her face against her shoulder, her eyes closed. Neither of them said anything: a moment like this needed no words. A short while later, when Susie’s dad arrived with Mr. and Mrs. Lenard, he was amazed when he saw the two giantesses embracing one another. He turned to Emma’s parents, and they all agreed to let the girls have their moment, before announcing their presence. Susie and Emma didn’t look embarrassed when they found out their parents were watching them; in fact, they looked happier than they did in a long time.

The next day was Saturday, and Susie decided to show Emma the town of Barton. They set off just after breakfast and headed down the hill through the forest. Of course, Susie took every opportunity to tell her new friend that she had to be extremely careful not to step on someone. At their size, it was all too easy to have a little accidental misstep, and cause massive damage. They reached the outskirts of the town, and Emma gasped with enchantment.

“Wow! It’s like a fairy tale city, or something! Everything’s so tiny!”

She knelt down next to the nearest house and placed her hand on the roof. She was certain that, if she wanted to, she could put her arms around the house and pick it up, like a dollhouse. Susie stepped past her and onto the street. Her shoes were just as long as the cars that were parked here and there. Emma stood up again and, for the first time, began to notice people on the ground below her. Miniature men and women , walking on the sidewalks, relaxing in front yards, and driving cars. They were all staring at the giant girls, which made Emma feel uncomfortable, and none ventured close to them. Most people knew that Susie was friendly, but they were still wary of approaching her.

“Come on!” she aid, after waving to the citizens. “Let’s got to the park! My friends will be there!”

She began to walk along the street, placing each foot as carefully as she could. She noticed that cars avoided driving towards her, and would turn at intersections to get away from her. One or two, however, seemed to know that she posed no threat, and drove carefully between her feet. Some drivers even waved at her. Suddenly she heard a voice calling her name, and looked down. At her feet she saw Mrs. Torrance, one of the teachers from Jake’s school, and the only one who seemed to like her. She stooped and picked her up.

“Hello, Mrs. Torrance” she said politely. “How are you?”

“Oh, I’m fine, thank you, dear. Though I must admit it always gives me a fright when you take me up like this! So, how’s life treating you? And who’s your lovely little friend?”

Susie introduced Emma, who got some amusement out of being called ‘little’. She offered her finger to the woman in place of a hand. Mrs. Torrance took it in both hands. As she and Susie chatted, Emma looked down, and saw that a crowd had started to form at their feet. She knelt down to get a better look, and said hello to the pint-sized people. One man, wearing a police uniform, took a few steps closer, and she offered him a finger to shake as well. He didn’t react to it.

“H-how old are you, er…little girl?” he asked.

“Eleven,” she replied.

“Oh my God!” came a woman’s voice. “That…that means you’ll grow even bigger than you are now?”

“Uh-huh. My mom said she thinks I’m going to be bigger than Susie someday.”

The people began murmuring amongst themselves, and she felt uncomfortable again. Were they afraid of her? Susie knelt down and put the teacher back on the ground. The two girls completely dwarfed everything around them. They were blocking the road as well, and motorists began to honk their horns angrily. Soon they were on their way again, and after a few minutes they reached a large park. Here Emma saw something else she’d never seen before: children her own age. They were playing and running around. When the girls arrived, however, silence fell. Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at them. Some parents got up and began gathering their kids. But Susie was undeterred. She was here to have fun, and if people didn’t like that, they were welcome to leave.

She looked around, and soon spotted her friends. Jake, Linda and Tara were sitting on the grass, and she lay herself down next to them. Emma did so as well, leaving the three older kids completely enclosed by their gigantic bodies. Susie handled all the introductions. Emma picked Jake up and curled her fingers around him.

“You’re very cute,” she said, and he blushed. “Are you really Susie’s boyfriend?”

“Yes, uh, that’s right. I…ow, my leg!” Emma’s fingers were squeezing his legs together, and he tried to break free. The young girl apologized and put him back down.

“Don’t worry!” Susie said laughing. “Jake’s just being a baby. Here, let me show you how it’s done!”

“Hey!” Jake protested. “I wasn’t being…hey! Hey, what are you…” Susie had grabbed him by the back of his shirt and lifted him up. She zipped open the front of her jacket and lowered Jake down inside, just beneath her blouse-covered breasts. Then she quickly zipped her jacket up again. Jake’s dampened voice could be heard and Susie could feel his puny body struggling around against her. Emma laughed, while Tara and Linda just watched and smiled, partly in amusement, and partly in awe. Susie was just so huge and powerful, and they were all like bugs compared to her. They turned around, and Emma picked them both up in one hand.

“Oh, God,” Tara whispered. “I feel so, so, incredibly tiny right now.”

“Yeah, tell me about it,” Linda said. “Can you imagine if there were a lot more of them? What’ll happen to us then?”

“Oh, we’ll still be friends,” Susie said. “We’ll keep you around and let you sleep in our panty drawers. You’ll be our little pets.”

“That’s right,” Emma added. “You’ll be just like little dolls to us, and we’ll play with you, and dress you, and…”

“Okay, okay, I get the idea!” Tara said. “Actually, I wouldn’t mind being a doll. Life would be so easy, wouldn’t it? No worries, no problems, just you and your giant owner who takes care of you.”

“Just give me a gorgeous guy doll, and I’m in!” Linda said. “Hey, Susie, don’t you think you should let your little boyfriend out soon? I’m afraid he might suffocate or something.”

Susie unzipped her jacket, and Jake tumbled out in an undignified manner. His face was burning red, both from the heat and the embarrassment. He glared up at Susie, who made an apologetic face. Before he could yell at her, she snatched him up again and planted a kiss on his face.

“Forgive me?” she whispered, pretending to be sad.

“Uh, all right,” he agreed. “Just…don’t do that again…at least, not out here, in front of everyone.”