Aaron Smith and his wife Sally farmed crops for a living. They lived in Iowa on a forty acre farm with their five kids. They were both good salt of the earth, God fearing people. Sally got the shock of her life when her husband fell ill with the ‘growth virus.’ She worried about how they were going to survive. The growing season had been a bust and the mortgage on the farm was already well past due. Sally worried especially after her husband went through the physical age regression that she heard so much about. Now she dealt with a very hungry six and half foot four year old on top of the rest of the brood. It wasn’t until she heard about a place called Gaea House that Sally started to feel some hope. She signed up to be on their waiting list.
A week later, much to Sally’s surprise she received a phone call from a Caroline Honeywell telling her that Aaron got accepted with an all-expense paid trip to the complex. Aaron was overjoyed by this news as well. Sally thought they wouldn’t get accepted till it was too late, but Ms. Honeywell explained that it wasn’t a waiting list so much as the advocate’s approval. She also mentioned that the advocate would like to speak directly with her and her husband and that the advocate doesn’t always do that. Sally felt privileged.
The trip to Gaea House seemed long. Sally left the kids under the watch of her mother and drove to this special place. Once there, she was greeted by a very beautiful giantess with violet eyes and black hair. The giantess looked to be about sixteen. Her name was Caroline Honeywell. She took them to the human quarters first where Sally could drop off her bags. Then she took them to a very large office building with fifty foot ceilings and thirty foot doors. She led them to the office of Melinda James.
Melinda James was a beautiful but slightly obese woman that stood about five foot ten inches tall. The statuesque woman had dark red wavy hair and faded tattoos. She greeted the Smiths with a smile and directed them to sit down.
“I am here to brief you a little bit on what Gaea House is all about. We are here to help the newly evolve adapt to the small world. We will help you and your family in any way possible. Your mortgage has been taken care of and some farm hands should be at the ready when you go home, Mrs. Smith. We don’t like to see the families struggle,” Melinda explained. Sally’s jaw dropped, she wasn’t expecting this. “Of course we will expect Mr. Smith here to pull his weight around here. You will find that Gaea House is much more than a ‘recovery center.’’
“With that said, I will need you to sign these clearance forms before meeting my husband, Steven James. You see, he doesn’t meet with just anybody. You will find that he is quite extraordinary and I’m not saying that because he’s my husband,” Melinda said with a smile.
“Why do we have to sign these forms?” Aaron asks.
“Yeah, just to meet someone?” Sally says.
“Gaea House holds a lot of secrets that the public doesn’t know about. On our tour you will see this. Some of our patients like to work on special projects and developments for things like solving problems that man seems to ignore. Most are in the development stage and we can’t risk a leak. Plus, Dr. Gunderson and his most trusted staff are looking into the cause of this so-called virus,” Melinda explained.
“Everything I have seen and read about it says that it’s a virus. Why do you say ‘so-called’?” Sally asked.
“Mrs. Smith, to be honest, the media has been ill-informed. This is not something that can ever be fixed. The so-called ‘infected’ are having a DNA change, there is no known cure for Mother Nature. Your husband is going through the next stage of man and the same thing will eventually happen to you too,” Melinda explained.
“What about our kids? This is not infecting children,” Sally said, thinking of her five little ones and the one she recently found out about that’s in her tummy. Melinda could see her glow, the glow of a pregnant woman, even though Sally wasn’t showing.
“Tell me, Mrs. Smith. Have you fallen ill recently?” Melinda asks.
“Yes, a slight flu bug. It was some twenty-four hour thing,” Sally answered.
“Are you expecting?” Melinda asks.
“Yes, found out about the same day Aaron fell ill. Why do you ask?” Sally said.
Melinda reached out her thoughts to Steve who was sitting in his office working on his cases. Steve, it looks like we’re going to have to admit Mrs. Smith as well. She’s been ill and she’s expecting. We can let her stay in the staff and family suites. Melinda broadcasted, even though her telepathy is a far cry from her gigantic husband’s.
We’re going to need to contact the rest of the family. According to this, all the family they have are Sally’s mother. I’ll get Caroline on it and I’ll also contact Vin. We need to get Sally checked out as soon as possible. I’ll call Ally and see if we can get Sally’s medical records as well. Melinda received her husband’s message. Aaron gave Melinda and Sally a funny look.
“I thought I just heard voice,” Aaron said, shaking his head.
“It’s another little secret you’ll learn here, Mr. Smith. The newly evolved are telepathic. You were probably picking up the conversation between me and my husband,” Melinda said with a smile.
“But you’re not a giant?” Sally said.
“Mrs. Smith, you and I are one in the same. You see I am with child too and I’ve also come down with this ‘flu bug’ you’ve had. The wheels are moving a little differently for us. Now if you would please sign the clearance forms and all will be explained,” Melinda said.
Sally felt hopeless all over again but something deep inside her told her to sign the papers and that is exactly what she did. With the taken care of, five foot three Sally Smith and her husband became patients of Gaea House.
First place Melinda took the Smiths to would be the clinic. One of the biggest giantesses the Smiths encounters introduced herself as Allison Hayes. She wore a white coat over a red dress with no shoes. All the giants went without shoes. They didn’t feel temperatures anymore.
“Now Mrs. Smith, your medical records tell me that you are five foot three. Have you noticed any changes other than the pregnancy lately,” Ally looks down at the petite woman.
“Well to be honest, I have felt much more energetic than I normally do,” Sally answered honestly. Lately Sally has felt like she has been able to keep up with her kids.
“That should be expected. Let me get some measurements,” Ally said and motioned for Sally to stand as straight as possible. “You’re five foot four and a half. You’ve grown some and according to your records and you have gained some weight too. You’re evolving at a much slower rate because of the baby inside you. Melinda is our only other case and it’s too soon to tell what’s going to happen.”
“Come with me and my husband will discuss some options we have,” Melinda said, directing the Smiths out of the clinic area and up a flight of steps.
Melinda stopped on the landing before the door and turned to the Smiths. “A word of warning, Steven is like no other giant you will meet. He has evolved much farther. The general public is unaware of his existence. He will be coming out soon, but for now he wants to be kept under wraps so to speak. Don’t be afraid, Steven wouldn’t harm a fly and don’t let his appearance fool you either. All I ask is that you keep an open mind,” Melinda said with sad blue eyes.
Melina opened the door and directed the Smiths onto a balcony overlooking an office space with a gigantic desk. They were eye level with the biggest giant they have ever seen, a giant as big as a three story building playing with a redheaded toddler no bigger than a field mouse.
“Can’t find me, daddy,” the little boy shouted as he hid behind the computer. The handsome giant smiled as he searched his desk for the tot.
“Behind my computer, Tommy,” he says gently. Steve’s green eyes lit up in a smile as he reached his hand around the monitor. Tommy climbed up on the enormous hand, laughing. Steve then tickled him with his index finger. Tommy adapted well to his titanic father.
Sally and Aaron Smith watched the giant and the tot with their mouths agape. The giant with the dark red hair and wearing what looked like green hospital scrubs. The giant wore a kindly smile as he looked down at the tot in his hand.
“I love you, daddy,” Tommy said as he hugged the index finger. “I have the biggest daddy in the whole wide world,” Tommy then announced.
“You don’t know how true that is,” Steve said with a sigh. Steve then became aware of his guest. His telepathy didn’t pick up their presence because he was so focused on Tommy. Steve brought Tommy to work with him once in a while to keep his mind calm. Steve put Tommy back down on his desk with his toys. The only items on Steve’s desk were the computer and a small play area for Tommy. He had no papers or pencils because everything in his office was voice activated electronics. Due to Steve’s size, it just made it easier that way. “You behave so daddy can talk to these nice people,” Steve tell Tommy and Tommy obeys.
“Aaron and Sally Smith, this is my husband Steven James and our son Tommy,” Melinda says, making introductions. The Smiths didn’t know what to say. Steve smiled straight ahead at the platform. His long red hair tied back in a loose ponytail, he had feature that could make a Greek god envious. There was something different about this enormous giant, something fragile and human.
“I’m pleased to meet you two,” Steve said in a quiet, yet shy voice. Steve was still not used to dealing with people. He was always empathic but a little introverted. Being five times his original size hasn’t changed that much. Of course he is a bit more confident than what he used to be and still kind hearted. His looks may have changed, but not his personality.
“N-N-Nice to meet you too, M-M-Mr. James,” Sally managed to get out.
“Please don’t be intimidated by me. I’m here to help you and your husband, Mrs. Smith. I know my size comes as a shock, but I want you to be able to talk to me. Tell me about your situation and we can come up with solutions to help you. As you can see, being a father I can understand your concerns. Melinda and I are still learning how to handle our situation. It’s hard when there are children involved, that is why I chose your case. We don’t really do waiting list here, I decide who needs help the most,” Steve explain. Steve had always been one for hard luck cases and the Smiths were one of those cases. “If you ever need anyone to talk to during your stay, my door is always open.”
“Thank you, Mr. James,” Aaron says.
“I’d usually shake hands with the people I meet, but as you can see it’s a little difficult for me, but I want to welcome you to Gaea House and if there is anything you need, don’t hesitate to ask either myself or Melinda. We want your stay here to be as pleasant as possible. Ms. Honeywell has just sent out transport to get your kids and mother, Mrs. Smith. They can live with you in the human quarters until it becomes cramped so to speak. Mr. Smith will have to stay here at the clinic. We’ll allow for your visit, Mrs. Smith but the children a prohibited until he starts looking older. We don’t want to confuse them,” Steve explained. The rules seemed fair even though Aaron will miss the smiling faces of his brood. “It will go by fast, Mr. Smith,” Steve than said, reading the man-child’s thoughts.
Melinda then escorted the Smiths back to their rooms. Aaron to his room and then Sally to hers. She looked up at Melinda before going into her suite. “Does it get easier?” Sally asks her. Melinda gave her a smile.
“To be honest Sally, my relationship with my husband is the best it’s ever been despite our differences. There are perks to becoming bigger. Would you believe that this is the same Steven James,” Melinda said, showing Sally a family picture. Sally studied the skinny looking man with curly orange hair and glasses and his overweight tattooed wife. “That was Steven and I three months ago. You do more than just grow. Your body changes in ways you never thought possible. I’m much taller than what I used to be, but you can also see that I am thinner despite the fact that I’m pregnant. Your body becomes much stronger and resilient. My tattoos are fading because my skin is changing. I could go get them touched up, but it wouldn’t do me any good, they’ll just keep fading,” Melinda explained.
“But how did your husband get so big? I’ve never seen a giant that big before,” Sally said.
“He’s the end product. We thought when the Andersons grew that that was it, well when Steven started his final stage, he kept growing. He has a stable height of twenty-nine feet, two inches. That’s five times his original height. Some of the other larger ones recently started growing again, but the last phase is slow. Steve is the biggest giant in the world at the moment, but that will change. Dr. Gunderson is making preparations for Steve to come out to the world, but Steve is a shy and introverted person. We’ll have to see if the world can accept him,” Melinda said with a sad look in her eyes.
“Now our situation is a different matter altogether. Since you are now a part of Gaea House I can tell you our top secret project. They have been studying my biology to find a way to grow the children of newly evolved people. So far the experiments have been positive. Soon we are going into the final stage. We are only doing this because you will find with Aaron that it is quite difficult for them to care for children,” Melinda said.
“Your husband seemed to be handling your son alright,” Sally said.
“He’s a good playmate, but he can’t take care of Tommy’s other needs,” Melinda said and Sally understood remembering how small Tommy looked next to his father. Sally seemed to like the James’s. She said her good-byes to Melinda and went in to relax in her suite. She took off her snug shoes and lay back in her chair and watched some T.V.