Clara felt the tiny body mash nicely beneath her weight. After two more steps towards the door she
turned back around and trod on it again, twisting her foot. Blondie was ground to a bloody pulp
beneath Clara's slippers. The crunching sound they made never failed to make Clara hot. She
cleaned her shoe with a tissue from the coffee table and returned to the kitchen.
The oven was filled with thick smoke. Clara faked a sigh, opened a window and turned the heat
down. The crossaints were burned black. "Well, I guess it's toast again. Yay.", she tried to sound
annoyed. Lea looked like something entirely different was troubling her.
"What took you so long and what was that scream?", she demanded to know. Clara had to fake a
story, quick. "Umm", she began and smiled guiltily, "That was me, heh. My new little friend did me
one last favor before I let her go." Charlotte dug her face into a huge piece of egg to surpress a
laugh. Lea looked highly
unconvinced.
"You mean she...", Lea was stammering, searching for words, "...gave you...she pleasured you with
her tongue before you let her go?" At the end she sounded
almost hopefully. "Yes.", Clara said and couldn't hide a grin. A howl emitted from the egg around
Charlotte's face. "What's the matter with her?", Lea asked
puzzled, "Anyway, so...she's, uh, alive?"
"Of course.", Clara said trying to carry as much conviction as possible. Charlotte took the egg away
from her face, holding her breath, tears of joy in her
eyes. Her face was almost as red as her hair. Clara couldn't help but chuckle at the sight.
Lea was getting angry: "What the heck, am I missing something here? Do you two know something
that I don't? You killed her, right?! And yesterday, I bet you
smushed poor Jason too!" Clara caught herself considering just how much of this silly theatre Lea's
friendship was worth. Time to end this crap, she decided,
...in a gentle way. One last try.
"Look at Charlotte.", Clara reasoned, "Do you believe that if Vanessa and I had a killing fest
yesterday and I just murdered the next one of you she'd be happy
like that?" "I don't know about her.", Lea rambled on, "She could be some weird freak who is into
ogrish monstrocities like you are!" Charlotte stopped
laughing.
Wow, Clara thought, was little Lea maybe not that naive after all?
Clara was about to say something that would scare the life out of her little friend when Lea's
expression suddenly changed. "I'm so sorry!", the little girl
yelled, ran over to Clara's arm and hugged it, "I didn't mean to say that, I'm so sorry!" Lea burried
her face in Clara's skin.
Clara saw Charlotte looking at them both, showing an evil and knowing smile. Clara smiled back
and regretted it a moment later. Lea was right, Clara thought,
what was the matter with her? Was Charlotte really into cruelty or was she going to tell Lea the
truth about everything as soon as she'd get the chance? Was she being sarcastic, seeing things would
soon go to an end with her?
The best thing would propably be to get rid of her as soon as possible but that would mean a
continuation of this tiring drama with Lea. Also, Clara was
intrigued to find out about what Charlotte's true colors were. It was a risk Clara was going to take.
still, upon the lightest suspicion Clara would kill her,
make it look like an accident or something. It'd be sad though, Clara thought, to waste such a
beautiful thing.
"What you thinking of?", Lea asked looking up to Clara. "Nothing.", Clara said quickly, averting
her gaze from Charlotte, "Let's just...eat, I'm freaking
starving." "Okay.", Lea sighed giving Clara a last glance as to make sure everything was allright.
"You should try and get Charlotte some clothes.", Lea said with a mouth full of egg a few minutes
later, "And I could use some new ones too." She emphasized it by poking her finger through a hole
in her torn clothes. Charlotte who was licking yoghurt shake off a spoon looked up and nodded
vigorously. "Hmmm", Clara said looking around in the kitchen.
She got up and crouched infront of the large kitchen cabinet. Nothing alive underneath it seemed
but a few dry bread crumps piled up next to a tiny pile of what looked like peas gave Clara all the
hints she needed. A movement caught her eye. A small thread was slowly being dragged up into a
really tiny gap between two boards in the shelf. Even for mouse people it would be difficult to
squeeze through there but not impossible, Clara guessed.
She snickered as she opened the lower door of the cabinet. Plates everywhere. She grabbed the
whole stack and put it on the ground next to her. Five little
mouse people pressed their backs against the back of the cabinet staring at her in fear. 'Oh, what I
could do with you', Clara thought, biting her lip. A boy
made a leap for the hole. Head first he squeezed himself through the tiny gap and when he was
halfway in Clara lazily reached underneath the furniture and
gently pulled him through.
Smiling at the pack she turned him around in her hand and shoved him back up. Before he could
free himself she reached around and pinned his head between her thumb and index finger. He tried
to free himself with his arms, but Clara's pinch was too strong. "What's going on?", Lea had to yell
from the table for Clara to hear her. Clara ignored her. They couldn't see what was going on from
the table.
The remaining two boys and two girls at the back of the cabinet didn't dare to move. Clara pointed
at the two females. "You! Undress!", she ordered. The girls
gulped and exchanged a quick look but didn't move. "If you don't want to have me squash your little
buddy's head here...", Clara squeezed her fingers together
to make the boy squeal, "...I recommend you do what I say."
"Clara, don't scare them!", Lea yelled in a reprehending tone. 'Such a shame', Clara thought. The
little girls undressed immediately. They wore ponchos and
skirts all made from various threads around the house. They put their things in neat piles infront of
them and retreated to the back of the cabinet. Clara took
the clothes without letting the boy go. She gave them all a last glance and smiled.
In a quick move she let the boy go and grabbed the stack of plates with both hands. It was heavy.
The boy was still struggling through the hole when he noticed
the huge shadow decenting upon him. He raised his arms against the plates but he was way too
weak. One of the girls shrieked when the stack of plates settled directly on the hole.
The clacking noises of the plates muffled the flattening of the boy's torso and head. Clara peeked
under the cabinet a last time. His legs were still kicking
wildly for a moment before his struggles ceased forever. Clara snatched up the clothes that she had
let slip to the floor and slammed the cabinet's door shut
with her ass. 'Some playthings for later', she though and hoped they wouldn't escape.
Holding the captured garments up she returned to the table. Lea gave her a dispraising look: "Was
that necessary, to scare them like that? You could've just
asked nicely and they'd propably given you what you wanted." "I doubt it.", Clara said handing the
clothes to the girls, "They were all scared shitless. I had
to be a little rough on'em to get them moving, plus, nobody was hurt, so what are you worrying
about?"
"I don't like the way you treat them.", Lea argued, "Like they're fair game for you to play with." "I
honestly think they are fair game.", Charlotte spoke
frankly, "I mean, they are living in Clara's house without her consent, right? Are you really ok with,
like, them stealing your food and stuff?" She looked up
to Clara.
"Umm", Clara said a little perplexed, "Yeah, uh, they mostly eat the stuff that's on the floor anyway,
so they actually help me keep the place clean. And since
I had a little agreement with'em I haven't seen a single drop of mouse people poop anywhere."
"Smart.", Charlotte admitted as she put on the poncho. Lea still
seemed to pout.
Clara relaxed and enjoyed her shake while Charlotte started a little small talk with Lea about where
she came from. It seemed to distract Lea from being angry
with Clara. Charlotte had always lived in captivity. She was born at a petshop among many others.
She allways hoped to end up at some nice place maybe in the
hands of a young girl who'd care for her and wouldn't handle her too roughly. Those who didn't sell
ended up in the cage and then belly of some carnivore after
some time.
She was used to young uncaring hands squeezing her a little too tight. However, when a new
assistant came to the shop things got worse. 'That spoiled brat',as Charlotte hatefully called her,
used every free minute to terrorize the littles. Those that didn't sell she was especially happy to get
her hands on and more often than once a perfectly sellable one would slip into the pool of rejects.
She'd happily chew a few up right infront of the cage and force the last one to clean her teeth before
swallowing him whole. Others she'd put her cigarette out
on or tape them to the floor beneath the counter and lazily squash them flat whenever she got bored.
But one day a huge 'doctor-man' took many of them at once, Charlotte too. The doctor cared good
for them. He fed them well and even checked on their health. But their numbers quickly vanished.
Charlotte was among the last three specimen in the doctor's cage before they all were taken out and
put in a glass jar.
As a new method of channeling bad feelings, frustrations, helplessness, anger and so forth the
doctor had his patients abuse and kill little people just like
the assistant in the shop had, only these troubled minds had infinitely crueller ideas.
"When Clara came in I thought that was it.", Charlotte said, "The doctor only had us killed when he
wasn't officially recieving somebody, you know. And Clara
had to step on one of us three to save the other two. I'm so thankful she didn't choose me."
"Clara?!", Lea roared but Charlotte interrupted her. "She did it to save us or all of us would have
died!", she screamed angrily, "And for all I care she can
step on all our kind in the world so long as it isn't me!" Lea looked at her, shocked. Charlotte
calmed down: "I'm sorry Lea but you haven't seen what I have.
I'm just lucky to be alive."
Lea's look eased up a little as well. "And to be honest", Charlotte continued, "I'm pretty glad to be
where I am right now, as should you.", she looked up to
Clara, "She gives you food, clothes, love...she doesn't abuse you." "Actually...", Lea started before
Clara hastily cut her off. "Umm, why don't you tell
Charlotte about the life of a free mouse girl, hmm?", she suggested a little too loud. Charlotte
looked at Clara, then at Lea and raised an eyebrow.
"Oh!", Lea exclaimed happily and talked about how wonderfull their life in the garden was, how
she grew up, how the mean, mean flower bed tribe came and they seeked refuge in Clara's house.
Clara had allready heard that story and decided to make herself some coffee.
Oddly enough Lea seemed to trust Charlotte much quicker than she had Clara. And much more so
too. She told Charlotte about the boy in her tribe that she liked but who never really got back to her
because whenever they were not gathering food they'd think about gathering food and never really
got to enjoy life. Clara secretely wondered if that boy had allready ended up beneath her or Vanessa
or if he was still alive, shivering in a hiding spot somewhere when her deadly feet stomped by. He'd
be fun to play with.
Lea also told Charlotte about her brother John and his temper and how afraid she was when she met
Clara. She left out the part where Clara had used her as a sex toy and almost flattened her
afterwards.
"Umm...Clara?", Lea shyly spoke up after a while, "Umm, I need to take a wee." "Not on the
table!", Clara responded strictly. "Of course not!", Lea said
aggrieved, "Can I do it somewhere else and, umm, in private?"
Clara took Lea outside on the patio and set her in a flower pot with a plant that had died last winter.
"I'll come back in a few minutes.", Clara said but Lea
shook her head. "Take your time.", she said embarassed, "This might take, uh, a little longer." She
smiled apologetically. "Urgh, that's gross!", Clara laughed and went back inside.
The coffee machine was done and she poured herself some. "That smells like it tastes horrible.",
Charlotte laughed when Clara took a sip of the coffee. "I'd
give you some.", Clara smiled, "But I'm afraid it might kill you." "Soo...", Charlotte began
hesitantly, "You don't want to kill me?" 'Smart girl', Clara
thought but didn't let Charlotte see her astonishment.
"Well, not with coffee anyway. I want to feel you when I do it.", she said as if talking about a
banality. Charlotte seemed uneasy. "Just teasing!", Clara
laughed, "Oh, you should've seen your face." Charlotte rolled her eyes: "Just please don't kill me,
okay?" "Mmmmh can't promise that", Clara continued teasing.
"Whatever.", Charlotte said annoyed, "I couldn't stop you anyway, so. But I'm not going to put on a
show for you."
"Oh believe me.", Clara said taking a sip of coffee, "You would." "You're propably right.", Charlotte
sounded bitter. Clara sighed before she said: "Oh come on.
I'm not going to kill you, allright? Can I do anything to cheer you up, like, smush something else?"
"Like what?", Charlotte asked. "Like, maybe, four little
mouse people I have trapped in the cabinet?", Clara winked at her. "You evil monster.", Charlotte
grinned wickedly, "But I don't think Lea would approve."
"So what.", Clara said, shrugging her shoulders, "She's outside, fertilizing my flowers." Charlotte
made big eyes: "You mean like, 'feeding the crops'?" Clara
laughed: "Nah, she's taking a poop." "Hmm.", Charlotte said in thoughts, "Why do you even put up
with her?"
Clara stopped laughing and sceptically cocked her head. She hoped Charlotte would know where
the line was. "I mean.", Charlotte continued, "She's terribly
naive, lightly slow witted and preaching all the time. How does she manage to hold you back?
Sometimes it seems like she's the giant and you're the mouse. If I
was talking to you like she is I'd propably be added to your breakfast. Or worse."
Clara smiled pittyfully: "Yap. And unfortunately for you the same goes for talking about Lea."
Without another word Clara stood up and threw off her bathrobe. She grabbed the puzzled Charlotte
and dumbed her on the wooden chair. Charlotte hatefully looked into Clara's eyes for a moment
before she started sobbing:
"Please don't..." Slowly turning around Clara said: "See? You're allready begging."