Alice and I started dating. She was a quiet girl; it took some coaxing to get more than a bashful smile from her, but that only made the effort all the more rewarding. Over time, I found her to be as vibrant as her hair, shimmering with laughter and joy. I had some money saved up, and was doing odd programming jobs. I had been staying with a friend since I left my wife and my old job, but soon Alice and I were able to move into an apartment of our own. She continued at her old job for a while, before working up the courage to quit.

  Being with Alice was enchanting. The only other woman I had ever dated had been Linda, and the two of them were as different as any two women could be. Where Linda had been hard and stern, Alice was soft and mild. I found I was able to relax and be myself around her. It was saddening to think how long it had been since I had felt that. It was a refreshing feeling.

  Our first kiss was magical. The smell of her fiery hair intoxicated me, while the touch of her lips left my own warm and tingling, like the taste of cinnamon. I knew I wanted to be with her. I was already making plans for our future together. I told her I had a job offer in another state. I asked her if she would be willing to move with me, and she said yes.

  Our new life was going well. Every day we fell deeper in love. I was in love with the mere sight of her - whether she wore a T-shirt and jeans at home, or earrings, a nice blouse and heels when we went out, she was my woman, she was beautiful, and I hated every minute we spent apart. I wanted everyone to see her sitting across from me in the expensive restaurant; I wanted to feel her delicate body leaning against mine, as we sat alone on the couch at night. She made me feel like a man.

  I was able to open up to her. I slowly began to talk to her about my troubled relationship with Linda. It was good to finally let it out. Alice had seen first-hand how she controlled the office. She was horrified to hear of how she controlled every aspect of my life. She listened attentively and offered me what understanding she could. She seemed a little guarded when it came to talking about herself, but I felt no need to rush her. I felt an intimacy with her I didn't think was possible. I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with this woman.

  But there was something I still wondered about. The thing that had sparked my interest that day in the coffee shop. The familiar glint in her eyes - I realized it was the same as I had seen in Annie's. There was more to Alice's eyes though - an unexplored depth - but something familiar was definitely there. One day, I decided I just had to ask. We were sitting at the table after breakfast.

  "Alice..."
  She looked up.
  "You have beautiful eyes," I told her. She smiled at that.
  "They're the same color as Annie's. She was a very special girl. Like you. She..."
  "She... what?"
  "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

  The eyes looked at me thoughtfully, inquisitively, then darted away.

  "Alice... you have a secret, don't you... a secret you've had since you were young. Something that makes you different."
  The hazel eyes widened. My words seemed to touch something deep inside her.
  "You've been unable to trust anyone... because you felt so alone. I've met someone like you. You can trust me."

  She stared off into the distance. She seemed to be processing what I had said. Then she looked back at me. Tentatively, she reached for her empty coffee cup. She pulled it closer. She placed a hand on either side, and sure enough, it began to shrink before our eyes. I had seen Annie perform tricks like this dozens of times, yet still I was filled with wonder.

  I told her about Annie and her powers. I told her about how she shrank me so I could spy on Linda. She listened with awe. She thought I was crazy and stupid and brave. She couldn't believe there was another like her. She told me a story of discovering her own powers, and feeling confused and afraid, much as Annie had been. She asked me if she could meet Annie someday, and I told her she would.

  One day, she told me of a dream she had. She was in her childhood bedroom again, sitting on her bed. Across from her, above the dresser, was a mirror. The girl beyond the glass was a stranger - though she had the same red hair and hazel eyes, the face was malevolent. Suddenly, the eyes turned red and the mouth widened into a chilling grin, exposing a set of sharp teeth. You're not me, you're not me, Alice repeated.

  Her double was clutching a miniature bed in her hand. Alice looked down and saw that the bed she had been sitting on had somehow shrunk and found its way into her own palm. She looked up again, and saw her reflection become even more distorted. The room through the mirror seemed to fill with dark clouds. My horrible secret. I'm a freak, a monster, some kind of demon, she found herself thinking. I can't let anyone know. She closed her eyes. Make it go away. I'm normal, I'm normal.

  When she found the courage to open her eyes again, she felt a stirring in her hand. She looked down, and saw a tiny version of herself, face in hands, sitting on the bed, weeping. A green wisp of smoke flashed beside the bed, and she saw me appear in her palm. She saw me take the smaller Alice in my arms, embracing her as I looked up to smile at the larger one. As she finished telling me this, her eyes were welling up. I hugged her.

  The first time she shrank me is still a warm, vivid memory. Her hands were a soft temple, the safe haven I had been seeking for so long. Her face was a clear summer sky. Her pupils were swirls of autumn, floating sentinels that watched over my whole world with an impossible benevolence. She seemed like something from a fairy-tale: the gentle giant princess at the top of the beanstalk who was strong and protective, yet delicate and in need of protection herself. It was an odd and wonderful feeling.

  "Will, you look just like you did in my dream."

***

  My hands rode the waves of her body. The taste of her saliva was on my lips as her tongue teased mine. The bed creaked as I shifted my weight, before she rolled over again, placing herself on top of me. I felt the warm bedsheet beneath me and the gentle, pliant weight of her breasts above me. She took a taste of my lips and looked at me with sultry eyes and a hungry smile. Suddenly she stopped and sat up, resting her arms on my chest.

  "Will," she sang, as she gave me a suggestive leer. "I have an idea."

  She backed off of me, and placed her nude behind on the mattress, and the soles of her feet on the bed between us. The bed stretched out beneath me as I shrank. All the while, Alice's mischievous feline eyes were watching me.

  "How's the view?"

  It was majestic. I admired the sight of the womanly mountain before me. The crimson strands of hair flowed down from the peak of her head, like the first rays of sunlight creeping over the horizon. The pale slopes of her legs became the summits of her knees, where a miniature climber could get a breathtaking view of the feminine terrain. Straight ahead of me, through the valley of her legs, lay the narrow mouth of a cavern, the entrance crested with red bushy growth. My stomach grew heavy with excitement at the thought of exploring that cave.

  Her eyes watched me, amused, as I took it all in. I now found myself staring at the two gigantic feet in front of me. She must have noticed, because one of them began to inch towards me. I found myself entranced by the sight of it: the gentle curve of flesh around bone, the heavy boulder of her heel, the nails, smooth as porcelain above each toe, the rough, intricate texture of the skin beneath. The sight of it made me alert, aroused, and weak. The big toe extended towards me inquisitively. The mass of flesh, wide around as a car tire, made contact with me, pressing gently against my chest. My heart pounded as I reached out my hands to touch the toe, my fingers finding the grooves of her toeprint. Suddenly the toe grew heavier, and before I knew what was happening, she had me pinned to the bed. A giggle resounded from above. My heart began to pound more loudly, though now from fear, not excitement.

  I glimpsed Alice's playful smirk for a second before her foot rose. As her sole loomed over me, I felt helpless and insignificant. This is all wrong, I thought. I thought she was sweet, gentle Alice. I realized with horror that I wanted her foot to come down on me. My reluctant prayer was immediately answered, as the behemoth foot of sweet, gentle Alice descended, swallowing me, along with all light, sound and air.

  She was still smiling as she lifted her foot to check on me. Now's my chance, I thought. I wanted to shout out to her, but my voice caught in my throat. Why can't I shout? I was paralyzed. Her foot descended once again. The moment before impact was an uneasy mixture of fear and anticipation. This time it was longer and more intense. She pressed and kneaded me into the mattress. A wave of fear consumed my body as a sudden realization came to me. Alice had a power over me that Linda could never have imagined, an unearthly power I could not comprehend. She was quite literally a goddess. The gargantuan form of her foot conquered me gently, teasingly.

  Tears came to my eyes as I finally found my voice.

  "ALICE! STOP!"

  She lifted her foot. Alarm was apparent in her face as she unshrank me.

  "Oh Will, I... I'm sorry," she cried, distraught, as she realized what she had been doing to me.

  I sat up against the pillow. Alice curled up next to me, rubbing my arm. I told her about how Linda had used her feet to control me. She seemed to think about that for a while.

  "Will, do you remember that dream I told you about?"
  I nodded.
  "You don't want to be controlled... any more than I want to be that red-eyed monster."
  "I don't..." I replied, "but... I do..."

  That night we had a long talk. I told her that feet made me feel strange things, and that Linda had used that to control me. Alice suggested that I had suffered some emotional damage, and promised to help me work through it.

  "There's nothing wrong with liking feet," she told me, rubbing my back comfortingly.

  The next couple of days Alice seemed quiet, almost pensive. She seemed to be giving me some space. We refrained from our intimate activities, instead, we went about our daily life, going to work, coming home, eating dinner and cuddling on the couch.

  One night, I had undressed, and was brushing my teeth, while Alice waited for me in the bedroom.

  "Oh, Will," her voice rang out. "I have a surprise for you."

  I spit into the sink and wiped my face with a towel. I walked into the bedroom, and was shocked to find Alice standing there, naked, except for a pair of black thigh-high leather boots.

  "Come here, Will," she beckoned, and before I could react, she shrank me.

  Alice loomed over me. The black bulbous toes of her boots rested on the carpet before me. Black laces snaked their way up thick black columns, zigzagging through small metal clasps before ending in ornate looped knots just below her knee. The leather creaked as she took a few impending steps towards me. I heard the faint clack of lace ends bouncing against boot as she settled her weight. What was she doing?

  "Will," she began, her eyes full of gentle love.
  "Do you love me?"
  "Yes," I answered.
  "Would you do anything for me?"
  "Yes," again.
  She smiled softly.

  "I love you too, Will. You're a very special man. I'm the luckiest girl on earth to have you. But we're still getting to know each other. We may not end up together... I hope we do, but... time will tell. The only way we'll find out is if we are open with each other. If we trust each other. If you decide to love me, to make me your woman, that is your choice. I have powers... powers that I am still trying to understand. But it is not within my power to make you love me. Do you understand, Will?"

  She paused. I knew she was right. Real love wasn't something you could take from someone. Linda had never truly loved me. That explained why she could move on so easily to Cory when she was bored with me. I looked up and nodded to Alice, and she continued.

  "But if you do decide to love me, I expect commitment. I expect you to commit to taking a chance, trusting your heart, sharing your world with me... I know I have these powers, but I don't want you to be afraid of me, Will. I'm not a monster, I'm not a goddess. I can be kind of a klutz sometimes."  She smiled. "I might boss you around now and then, but I promise, I won't be like her. So, Will... what do you say?"

  I pondered a moment, then leapt onto the toe of her boot, giving it a hug and a kiss.

  Alice smiled down on me benevolently. She lifted her boot, and me, as she strode carefully towards the bed. I sat on the boot, resting my behind on the lowest rung of laces, with my little feet flat against the smooth curved surface of the toe. Our massive bedroom whirled around frighteningly as she swung her leg onto the bed. My body rested awkwardly on the now-horizontal boot, the black leather cold against my bare skin. I stared up at the womanly landscape beyond the shaft of the boot, my gaze rising over pudendum, breasts and face. The boot began to tilt as she lifted her leg off the bed. My grip began to give, and I found myself tumbling helplessly down the rugged slope of the boot, over her kneecap and onto the soft belly below. The ground gave a spasm when I landed; my impact must have tickled. After recovering from the fall, I looked up and saw Alice's pretty face. Her humongous lips stretched into a smile. I responded with my own little smile.

  The fleshy earth beneath me was incredibly warm. I got on my hands and knees and began kissing it. I looked up to see her reaction. I stood up, entranced by the sight of her plushy smiling lips. I began to walk toward them. I reached her left breast, struggling against the slope before she helped me, placing her fingers beneath my feet so I could scramble up. Atop her breast, I made my way to the nipple. I knelt down for a while to let my hands and mouth greet it before continuing.

  I walked towards her mouth. She lowered her face when she saw me approach. I made to kiss her, and she pursed her lips in response. Suddenly, a gust of warm wind seized me and sent me tumbling between her breasts. A giggle shook the ground, jostling me about before I settled. I smiled up at her in playful reproach.

  Fingers grasped me from behind. Though they startled me, they were gentle. They placed me on the bed, and the giantess sat up. She began to remove her boots, untying the laces and slipping them down her legs and off her titanic feet, before placing them upright on the bed. She wiggled her toes and rubbed her feet with her hands.

  "Will, do you trust me?"
  "Yes, Alice."
  "I want to try something with you."

  Her fingers clutched me once again, and they placed me on the bed facing her feet. She stood her soles up in front of me.

  "Will, I want you to play with my feet. You can massage them, kiss them... or do anything else you want to do. While you are doing that, I want you to go inside to that vulnerable place, that place where Linda hurt you. I want you to try to feel some of that pain again... and try to heal it. I want you to remember that I love you and that you're my strong, brave man. I want you to know that I would never hurt you. I want you to think about the love and understanding we have. About what you feel for me. Can you do that, Will?"

  I gulped, and nodded. I walked gingerly toward the wall of wrinkled flesh. Huge toes curled and uncurled overhead, playfully, invitingly. I placed a hand on the sole, which twitched in response. My heart was pounding. I stepped closer to the foot, closed my eyes and planted a kiss upon it. A wave of memories and emotions washed over me. I thought of Linda, and the things she made me do, and did to me, with her feet. I thought of my friend, Annie, and the games we played. She had me under her foot and I called out for help, just as I had with Alice. It was just an innocent game. I felt ashamed. I turned to look behind me at Alice's black boots resting on the bed. They seemed to be alive, to have a personality; they seemed to be watching me. They reminded me of Linda. What was a nice girl like Alice doing with boots like those?

  I stepped around the foot, giving Alice a worried look. She responded with an almost sad smile. Then I remembered what she had said. Do you trust me? Go to that vulnerable place.

    I stepped towards her foot. I touched it, then pressed my body against it. A shiver ran through me. My heart pounded. I started out slowly, but soon I was kissing and licking and rubbing against her foot. I had to struggle with myself not to feel guilty, inferior or even silly about what I was doing. She told me to do what I wanted, and I tried to convince myself that I didn't want to do these things, but I couldn't help myself. I wanted to rub my hands, tongue and body against her foot, and I did. Was she becoming... my new Linda?

  I paused to peer around her sole again. She still had that sad smile; those gentle, nonthreatening eyes. I just stood there for a while, until a curious thought came to me.

  We're both looking for trust and understanding. We're both sharing a dark, secret part of ourselves that we don't quite understand... and how well those parts fit together! Alice is letting me explore that part of myself... so I can understand it... and let it be whatever I need it to be...

  I gave her a smile... and the side of her foot a few soft kisses. I looked at her eagerly, and she unshrank me. I climbed on top of her, and began to pepper her face, neck and hands with kisses. Her breaths came slow and deep. "Will", she whispered, a single tear streaming from her left eye, "my big, strong little man."

***

  As time passed, we grew closer. We found joy in the small details of our life. Going for walks, going to the movies, having dinner at home and out. We had fun, joked around, teased each other, and argued, as any couple does. I began to feel a sense of normalcy in our relationship that I had never known with Linda. We got so caught up in our happy life together that sometimes we would almost forget about her powers. But every now and then she would throw me a sideways glance and a knowing smirk which seemed just to serve as a simple reminder of our secrets. She seemed to enjoy shrinking me, and I grew used to seeing her tower over me. I grew to love the feeling of those humongous silky lips kissing my chest, her crimson hair draped around me on the pillow as she looked down on me. A different side of her seemed to shine through those eyes then - something seductive, possessive, almost frightening. It was exciting.

  I felt something slowly changing within me. Alice and I began to share a deeper sense of trust and love, and the scars that Linda had left on me began to fade. There was still something beneath them that wouldn't go away, something that wanted to be vulnerable at the hands and feet of a powerful woman - though now it had taken on a different meaning. That woman was Alice now, and I wanted to feel that way and to share that part of myself because I loved her, not because I feared her. Alice was very attuned to the way I was feeling, and seemed pleased that she could use her powers to help me.

  Sometimes I needed reassurance. I needed her to hold me, in her arms or in her palm. And I strove to be that little wisp of smoke that had comforted her in her dream. When one of us was upset, or we had a fight or a rough patch in our relationship, we often found it helpful to use her powers to play little games and act out scenarios. Sometimes, she would be the one who shrank, and I would let her sit in my palm as I rubbed her back with my finger. We had our own weird little world, our own wonderland, where we could go to escape the stresses of life.

  One time, we got into a particularly heated argument and she got so angry with me that she shrank me. She had me on the carpet between her sneakers. But when she saw how frightened I was, her face softened. I felt relieved until I saw her sole ascend. My body stiffened in fear as she brought her shoe down on top of me and pressed me gently into the carpet, mock-crushing me, before picking me up and assaulting my head with a kiss. She gripped me tightly in her fist, looking at me with an amused, annoyed smile. That episode taught her the importance of not losing her self-control... and it taught me the importance of respecting her point of view.

  That night I lay in bed with her, cradling her from behind.

  "Love you." I kissed her neck.
  "Love you too."
  "I'm sorry we fought."
  "Hope you learned your lesson, babe. Linda's one thing, but you better not get on my bad side. They'd never find you."
  She laughed like the little firebrand she was.
  "The next time you speak to me that way, you're going in the boot," she teased.
  "I thought that was my reward for being good."

  She wrapped her legs around mine playfully. She squeezed my arm, and gave my knuckle a kiss. I let myself drift into a blissful sleep, remembering all I had been through, and knowing that the most exciting and challenging of adventures still lay ahead.