Men and women looked at her with pity. They knew what he had done to her. A moron could figure it out. A few of the woman looked upon Roderick’s body as one would look at a rabid dog just put down. "My queen" Vertas said pointing to the kids now. In all the excitement we forgot about them. There were 6 of them. From ages 5 to 14. "Unchain them" I said. The guard did as told but I could tell he hesitated. The once bloodthirsty crowd was now concerned about what I was going to do to them. Would I snatch up the 5-year-old and eat him as easily as one would swallow a raisin? Would I crush the shaking 8-year-old to his right like he was a common roach? This would determine what kind of ruler I was going to be. Vertas asked me what I had planned for them. To spare them wasn't the smartest choice but it was the human one. I bent down in a way my elbows and chin rested on the ground. My mouth was close enough to them that my breath ruffled their hair. God they were cute! So tiny! Get a grip Patty. Be professional. The 5-year-old boy stared at my mouth blankly. I noticed a wet spot forming in his pantaloons. "Because of you age I decided not to execute you.  One cannot be held guilty for being born into such families until they done wrong themselves. Most of you have barely begun your lives. Still relatively untainted and blameless. So relax. I won't eat you or crush you under my feet like your relatives" I said. Hearing that they relaxed but not by much.

"With that being said your lives as you knew them is over. You will be sent away to live with farmers out in the countryside. There you will learn what it is to live like a commoner as you would put it. Experience hardships. Hard work. And the joy of living among people who don't see you as a political tool. As for keeping in touch with one another. That will be banned for three years to prevent any plotting. As for that you will be watched. If I hear any of you trying to overthrow the kingdom in any way I will come for you. Do I make myself clear?" I asked. The oldest ones nodded. The youngest cried. It hurt me a little to be so stern. I motioned for them to be lead away for their trips. I glanced around at the people. A few openly nodded. The others seemed relieved. "This concludes the trials. Before anyone goes I have an announcement. I will be forming a council and I need the best out of the merchant, military, craftsmen, judicial, and science fields here tomorrow" I said. Everyone looked surprised at me. The crowd murmured as they left.

"They were surprised at you" Vertas said. "In what way?" I asked. "They thought you were using excuses to kill them for fun. Especially that one man you decapitated. Then they saw you spare those children. Good idea for them by the way. What I think surprised them most is this council idea. Never in our history has a commoner had a say in how the country is run" he said. "Well I want it so they can give me suggestions and such. You guys know more about this place than I do. I have lost of ideas myself but it helps to have a second opinion" I said. "Now that's over. About my wife" he said. I sighed and sat back a little. "She...she's a bitter person. Wasn't the smartest idea to tell her we slept together" I said. "She heard from others" he said. "Oh. Guess that would be hard to keep secret. Fucking a giant girl in public" I said. We both were silent for a moment. "She wants a divorce. She's open to it. I rather spare your feelings by not saying what we said" I said. "Tell me please" he said very quietly. "She doesn't like you tastes so to speak. I questioned her on her coldness and she didn't care. You being away did change her but..." I said. Vertas sat down and held his face in his hands.

"All I can tell you is what grandma told me when I was little. I asked her why my parents died. She replied "sometimes things just happen and the best we can do is keep moving forward". His body shook. "Nobody is around right now. You can cry all you want" I said softly. The proud strong 3-inch man. A commander of thousands wept like a child at his broken marriage. A good part of me resented myself for helping it. I gently picked him up and cradled him to my chest. We sat there like this for over an hour. He finally stopped. "So happens to us now?" he asked. Understandably he was uncertain of his own future. "Come home with me. Right now" I said. "Home? Your home?!" he asked. "I think I can bring you with me" I said. Vertas being curious didn't object. He wanted to see this land of giants and miracles. This land called Kansas. I pulled out the thread tucked away in my shorts with one hand. The other holding him. "This is going to be bright and feel funny. Home" I said.

Vertas gasped at the sight of my living room. "Welcome to my humble home. You hungry?" I asked sitting him down on the kitchen nook. He looked all around him as I fixed a sandwich and got a glass of soda. "Good lord!" he said as I sat the sandwich down next to him. "You didn't answer me? Hungry?" I asked. He silently nodded I tore off a bit of bolniga. He sniffed it like a pet. "Ha-ha! Go on" I said. He bit into it and his expression was that of shock. He began wolfing it down quickly. "Jesus! Slow down! There's a lot more here" I said. "Never in all my days have I ever tasted something so rich in flavor! What animal is this?!" he asked. "A bunch I think. So what do you think of this place?" I asked. "Wondrous. Giant glasses larger and taller than houses. Slices of bread as big as a garden. Chairs...windows" he said looking around. "You haven't seen anything yet" I said. After a snack I took him on a tour of the house.  A toilet was mind blowing to him. "So you do your business and then pull the handle?" he asked. I flushed the toilet.  "A vortex that can swallow men" he muttered.

"This is your bedroom? What is this boy called Justin Bieber and why do you have a painting of him?" he asked with a touch of jealousy. "It was a phase. Actually I haven't changed much in here over the years. Still have my Powerpuff sheets. Ugh...need to redecorate" I muttered. I sat him on my bed as I kicked off my sandals. I changed out of my sweaty clothes. I glanced at Vertas who was watching me. "Like my ass?" I asked slapping it. "Oh my god" he muttered.  "I'm going to take a bath. Why don't you join me?" I said. It was a rhetorical question obviously. I took of his smelly uniform and stockings and boots and carried them to the sink. I ran some hot water and dropped some detergent in it. I swished the water around to get it sudsy and ran the bath water. "I'm a grown man. I can wash myself" he protested as I picked him up. "And where would the fun be for that?" I asked carrying him to the tub. "Good heavens its huge!" he said. I stopped the water and stepped in. I placed him on my tummy and slowly sank into the water.

"God that feels nice" I said gripping the faucet with my toes. Vertas stared out at the length of the tub. To him it was like an Olympic swimming pool. I grabbed a bar of soap and tore off a tiny chunk of it for him. He smelled it. "This is soap? Smells like roses and not animal fat" he said. "Ew. Oh, people did use animal fat long ago. Here is some shampoo" I said dropping a big dose on his hair. His hair was cut short and it reminded me of hair on a Ken doll. Very gently I rubbed and massaged it into his scalp. "Ha-ha. Your head looks like a big soap bubble" I snickered. "Ever so funny" he said scooping up water and rinsing his head. He seemed to be in deep thought. "What are you thinking about?" I asked rubbing his back. My wife...ex-wife Zera. She really said you could have me? No coercion? Just like that?" he asked. "She really did. I honestly don't see how a woman could be so cold to her husband. And you said she wasn't always like that?" I asked.

"No. I loved her the moment I saw her at beach. She was a salt vendor. Collecting sea water to get salt. That golden tan, smooth legs. Courted her for months before we married. She has a lovely laugh. Our wedding night we had sex until the sun came up. Astounding she didn't get pregnant" he said. "Sounds like you still love her" I said slightly jealous. "I do. The old her. After a year of trying to have kids we saw it couldn't happen. I wanted to adopt. So many orphans and abandoned kids because of the war. She wouldn't have it. She didn't want to raise a kid that wasn't hers. Things got worse. Price of salt skyrocketed but since nobody could really afford it we didn't make much money. Nobility paid what they felt like paying and we couldn’t say shit. Zera began eating to deal with the stress. Then word came down that those with my birth week were to be drafted. Zera gained noticeable weight but I still loved her. The night before I left we made love" he said.

"She told me she didn’t share your fetish" I said. Vertas tensed up out of embarrassment. I stroked his tiny side to calm him. "No she doesn't. She made that clear not long after we were married. In fact, it's why I left on a sour note. She did try to indulge me. Painted her nails blue. Rubbed her foot on my chest. I worshiped her foot like the goddess I fell in love with that day on the beach. She grew annoyed. Told me to fuck her and leave her feet out of it. Of course I did but after we were done she noticed me staring at them. She didn't say a word to me as I packed to be shipped out. To make matters worse she wore stockings that day to spite me. I'm not a perfect man but she acted like I was some...thing. It wasn't just her feet I loved. I even said that in letters to home. She didn't reply. She never replied" he said quietly. I gently had him turn to face me. "Nobody is perfect but that doesn't give a person the right to break their heart. I get she's not into that but to ignore you like that was cruel. You're better off even if it doesn't seem that way" I said.

"All are of your giant people so wise?" he asked. "Only the ones that suffer" I said. I handed him a pinch of soap again. "My advice isn't free. Clean me. Start with my belly button" I said. He looked at me like I was nuts. "Pretty please?" I asked. He made a grunt and walked on my belly to my belly button. His tiny hands rubbing and scrubbing away. "Shit that tickles!" I said. Hearing that he scrubbed harder. "Ah! You're doing it on purpose!" I yelled. His bare ass sticking in the air as he was bent over cleaning my navel looked enticing. He deliciously tiny balls and cock barely into view. I felt my nipples harden at just the sight. I slipped my finger underneath his ass to fondle his package.  "Oh fuck. That wasn't the deal" he said. "Want me to stop?" I asked. "I...uhhhhh....never said that" he gasped. Vertas turned around. His dick at full attention. My mouth literally watered. I picked him up. "God I need to suck your cock so bad!" I yelled jamming his crotch right to my mouth. Vertas groaned loudly as I sucked his shaft and balls. The tiny orbs danced on the tip of my tongue so easily.

"Slow down" he said. Afraid I was hurting him I did. He began to slowly fuck my lips as he kissed the bridge of my nose. My tiny lover lost himself in my blowjob as I slipped my fingers under the water and into my pussy. The splashing of water mixed with the gentle slurping of his sensitive crotch. "Uggghg!" he groaned as he released his tiny Lilliputian seed into my mouth. His body vibrated as I moaned climaxing. My toes curled around the faucet. My body jerked and splashed water into the floor. He was panting in my hand. I gently kissed him and stood up. I carefully dried him with toilet paper before drying myself. "Your clothes are clean but you'll have to wait before putting them on" I said. "No matter" he said shaking his cock. "Keep it up and I'll suck you dry" I warned him. Vertas stopped immediately and turned away. I put on a comfy bathrobe and carried him to the living room. There I turned on the tv. "You have people imprisoned in a box?!" he yelled. I couldn't help but laugh. "No. How do I explain? You have plays right? This is kinda like a play. This box is a way to see if from far away" I said. Vertas sat on the large sofa cushion amazed.

He was impressed at how many different "plays" there was. A show about planes came on. "You can fly in the heavens?" he asked. "Better. We've been to the moon" I said. "If your world is so wondrous, why bother with ours?" he asked. I placed him in my hands. His naked butt felt nice on my skin. "In your world I'm somebody. Someone to revere and look up to. Figuratively and literally. In this world I'm just a geek who like books. Unimportant. Alone" I said quietly. A few tears escaped my eyes. "You live alone? This great house and you're alone?" he asked. I nodded. He motioned for me to pick him up higher. "You don't have to be alone anymore my beautiful giantess" he said kissing my lower lip. I began crying like a child. It had been some time since someone showed me such love. Not since grandma. Vertas comforted me by stroking my cheek with his petite hand. I gently snuggled him between my breasts. "I'm not hurting you am I?" I asked. "No. It's nice and soft. Very warm" he said. An hour later we were both hungry again. I grabbed some chips and dip and played a movie.

He reminded me of a mouse eating potato chip crumbs. He absolutely loved ranch dip. "This is excellent! So creamy and sharp!" he said. "Needs something more" I said. Vertas was surprised when I picked him up and dipped him up to his tiny belly in ranch dip. "Shit that's cold!" he yelled. "I'll warm you up" I said licking my lips. I started at his tiny feet. I licked the dip off his soles and sucked on his feet until they were free of ranch. Then I gently pushed him into my mouth. I could taste his sweet flesh. His manly flavor as I sucked and slurped his lean legs fit from marching into battle. His ass sat on my tongue as I pulled him in deeper. Vertas groaned as my suction made him hard. He was up to his chest in my mouth and he wriggled his way to kiss my upper lip. Fuck I was so wet! I had to fuck him! I had to! I decided right then and there to give my real virginity to him. He will break my hymen and make me a true woman. I took him out of my mouth. "Why...why did you stop?" he asked. "I want to you to make a me a woman. You understand what I'm asking right?" I asked.

It took a moment for him to get it. "You still have your maidenhead?!" he asked. "Don't yell it! It's...embarrassing" I said. "...okay" he said with loving eyes. I carried him to my bedroom. There I got some Kleenex. "What's that for?" he asked. "To...clean the blood" I said blushing. Vertas gulped at the thought. I placed him on the bed as I took off the robe. My legs on either side of him. Vertas walked up to my pussy. He reached in with both hands. "Eeek!" I said with a high voice. "I can feel it" he said up to his armpits. "No...shit" I gasped. I've had people in me before but never this deep. Fuck I didn't even know he could reach that deep! Vertas strained and I felt tingling and slight pain. For a tiny guy he was strong but not strong enough. "Gives a new impression to the term iron maiden" he said pulling out. "Patty. I don't think I’m strong enough" he said. "If you trust me I can help" I said. He nodded.

I picked him up and began pushing him in feet first. He was up to his knees and I could feel him. This was the deepest any man, tiny or not, had been in me. "Lock your legs and tell me if I'm hurting you" I said. Vertas locked his legs. I pushed harder until I felt his soles on my hymen. I looked at him and he nodded. "Please don't break his legs Patty" I told myself. With a quick motion I shoved him in hard. He grunted and I let out a small yelp. "Patty!" he yelled concerned. A tear fell from my eye. He was up to his chest in me. "I'm...I'm alright. Just give me a second" I said. So there I was with a 3-inch man in my pussy and trying to shake off the pain of losing my virginity to him. "You sure you're okay? I mean the blood" he said. I was horrified to see my blood oozing out around him. Not much but to him it must've been soul withering. "Ohmygod! I'm sorry. I'll clean you up!" I said yanking him out. I was quickly cleaning off my blood on his skin. He was coated in it. His crotch, ass, even his feet and toes was slick with juices and virginal blood.

"God you must be disgusted" I said furiously cleaning him. He placed a small hand on my finger. "Not disgusted just concerned. My lover was bleeding a lot. It's okay. Calm down. Calm....down" he said. He patted my fingernail and smiled. Took me a minute to calm down. Jesus I even stained the sheets. "Put me back down and lay back" he said.  I did. "I'll go slow" he said placing his cock in me. Slowly he began to fuck me. He rubbed my crotch and kissed my labia. So gentle and caring. It was this moment I time I can say I was the happiest. 17 years old (18 in three weeks) and my happiest moment was my tiny lover fucking me with compassion I’ve never felt before. "That's so good. Please go faster" I said rubbing my breasts. Fuck my body felt like it was on fire! My heartbeat pounded in my ears. Vertas had been waiting on that. He fucked me as hard as he could now he knew he wouldn't hurt me. "My precious giantess. I love you so much. Your neitheregion is like warm wet velvet!" he said. "It's yours" I moaned. "Your delicate lips" he groaned. "Yours for the taking" I moaned. "Your beautiful feet and toes" he said ramming even harder. "Worship them anytime you want" I said. "Take my seed!" he yelled cumming. We both came at the same time. He pulsing in me. Me squirting all over him.

"That. That was even better than last time" I said catching my breath. "Bet it was now you're not fucked up on absinthe and wine" he chuckled. "Jesus you're a mess" I said. My secretions literally dripped off of him. "I do feel like a glazed ham" he said shaking his hands. "Come on. Let's get you cleaned up" I said. I carried him to the sink where I rinsed him off. Afterwards I dried him off. "Hey your clothes are dry and clean now" I said. "I'll put them on later. Feels nice to be naked right now" he said. "Does it help when your giantess lover is around?" I asked chuckling. "It doesn't hurt" he said yawning. We were both tired. It had been a long day. "You better not move" I said placing him on a pillow on the left side of my bed. "Why not?" he asked. "I sometimes move in my sleep. If you don't want to end up under my belly or head, I wouldn't move" I said. I pulled my covers up over us. "Smells like you" he said softly. "Goodnight Vertas" I said. "Night Patty" he said. You'd think after all that happened today we'd just crash to sleep. At least me anyway. Nope.  I was embarrassed to be nervous to having a lover, a tiny one anyway, sleeping in my bed.

Hell I was frightened that I'd really crush him in my sleep. Now and then I'd hear him move a little. An hour ticked by and my eyes got heavy. I was drifting off to sleep. "You awake?" he asked. "Vertas I almost was" I said annoyed. "Today I noticed grand portraits of an old woman and I'm guessing you but none of your parents. Why?" he asked. "I think I told you but my parents died when I was young. Grandma wanted to have the picture out of them but changed her mind when she saw how sad I was" I said. "How did they die? War? Famine? Plague?" he asked. "Car accident" I said. "Car?" he wondered. "A type of carriage" I said. "To lose both parents so young to an accident I'm surprised you don't resent God or have become bitter to life" he said. "I had help. Grandma helped me through a lot of it. Whenever I cried she just hold me tight. She wouldn't tell me to stop. She would just let me cry. After that cookies. I remember once on my 7th birthday she threw a surprise party. It was the first birthday I had with my parents since they died."

"She had cake, ice cream, even a friend from school there. Tons of presents. But no mom or dad. It was fun. Laughing at her when frosting stuck to her nose. Unwrapping gifts. Later that night though it was different. You see when my parents died they had to have a closed casket funeral. I couldn't see them so for a 6-year-old it didn't seem they were gone. It was after midnight as I stared out that window there at the rural highway watching a car or two ride down it. Like it would pull up to the house and mom and dad would hop out and take me back home. After a while though I saw no cars stopping here. My birthday was over and they really were gone. I sobbed so loudly I woke her up. "Oh Patty" she said hugging me. I could hear her sniffling herself. It took me a few years to realize that yeah I lost my mom and dad but she lost a daughter. She hurt just as much as me. She needed to be strong for me. After calming down she went into the kitchen to make cookies. 2:30 in the morning and this 75-year-old woman was trying to bake cookies."

"Well damn. No milk or butter. Hope they turn out okay" she said making the batch. "Oh lord" she said tasting one. Man those cookies were fucking bad! Dry as fucking sand!" I said laughing. "She's dead isn't she?" Vertas asked quietly. I didn't have to answer. "She sounded to be an incredible woman. I would've liked to have her as an in-law" he said very quietly. "What did you say?" I asked turning my head. Vertas quickly looked the other way. "Hey I asked you a question!" I said. No answer. "Fine. But the answer would be yes. Ask properly next time" I huffed. Shit! Did he just ask me in a roundabout way to marry me?! Damn. Now I'll never get...to...sleep...zzzzzzzz.

I felt movement on my stomach. It was what awoke me. "Morning. Sleep well?" Vertas said using my tits as recliners. "What? Did I surprise you?" he asked smugly. I grabbed him quickly and shoved him into my mouth. He struggled a great deal. Hope it was my morning breath that freaked him out. He has to know I wouldn't eat him. As I got dressed I saw the time. I nearly swallowed him as I tried to speak. I spat him out on the bed. Shit! Barely got time for breakfast! "A little bit of warning Patty!" He yelled coughing. "What? Did I surprise you?" I asked mockingly. "Not funny. Thought you were going to eat me in a morning fog" he said. I lowered my head and slowly walked out my room. "Wait! Patty I didn't mean...shit" Vertas said as I passed the doorway. I scrambled some eggs and fried bacon. By that point I saw Vertas walking on my floor. I sat down with my plate and moments later he climbed up onto the table. Keeps surprising me how fit he is. "Can we talk?" he said walking up to my plate. I cut him off by propping my feet onto the table. Grandma would have a fit if she saw.

"What's there to talk about? The person I love most in my life thought I would eat him" I said eating a bite of eggs. "Guess I deserve that. Patty keep in mind this is totally new to me. I just met you a few days ago and now we're in a relationship. Wouldn't you be kinda freaked out of a giant man tossed you into his mouth?" he asked. "If he was my lover I’d trust him completely" I said cracking my toes. Sound must've been like splitting logs to him. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry" he said sincerely. "You can have breakfast but first you're gonna make it up to me. Lick my feet" I said chuckling. I could hear him chuckling himself as he walked over to my soles. I could feel his tiny hands and tongue working the grooves and wrinkles of my soles. I lowered my foot so he could worship my toes. I felt him slide his naked body between my big and second toe and began to lock and lap away at the space. "Hmmm....feels nice. Probably isn't a good punishment for you though" I said. I glanced at the clock. "Damn! I'm running late for sure now! Off footboy!" I said. I raced into my bedroom and got dressed. Vertas was wolfing down a bit of egg and crumb of bacon. "Where you going?" he asked.

"Work and I’m running late!" I said. "Work?! You?!" he said. "Shit ain't free here" I said. He shook his head and kept eating. "I'll be back this afternoon around 5. Watch tv to pass time. When we get back we'll go to Lilliput" I said closing the door. I got to the library. "Look who showed up" Constance said. "Sorry I'm late" I said putting my purse down. "We took care of returns already. Just some cleaning and opening the reading rooms now" Martha said. "Ribbing aside. You're never late. You okay?" she asked getting real close to my face. She eyed me hard. She leaned back smiling. "It's a man! I know that look! Ha!" Constance yelled. "What’s going on?" Martha asked. "Patty here found a man" she replied. "Is that true?!" Martha asked. I blushed and looked away. "See?! I knew it. That twinkle in those eyes. You're even wearing nail polish! So what's he like? What’s his name?" Constance asked. These two old women hovered around me like gossiping vultures. "His name is Vertas. He's really nice" I said. "Vertas? Sounds foreign. Where's he from?" Martha asked. "A...faraway island nation" I said stretching the truth.

"Where's he staying? At the inn on Main?" Constance asked. "Umm...he was staying at my house" I muttered. "What?! You let this man stay with you and you like just met him?! I'm assuming you just met him because you never spoke about him before!" Martha yelled. "Yeah I met him little under a week ago. He's a really nice guy" I said. "All you know he could be a murderer! Martha, I got my late husband's shotgun over the mantle. I say we go over to her house later and meet this Vertas. If he's weird we run him out" Constance said. "Whoa! Easy! He couldn't hurt a fly!” ‘I yelled. Well maybe he could hurt a fly with his tiny pistol but not a human being. "You're really taking up for him" Constance said. She got real close. "You two had sex. Hot sex" she muttered. My face was as red as a beet. "Constance! That's her business. So...did you?" Martha asked. "If you must know you nosy bitties. Yes, I did" I said. "He didn't seem gentle. He bit your leg?" Constance asked pointing to my bare legs. I looked at them. Aw hell. There were three noticeable bruises on them. Couldn't tell them they were from cannonballs shot by tiny people.

"We got a tad wild" I said. "Now I really want to meet this guy. Is he handsome? Kinky?" Constance asked. "Down girl" Martha said. "Hey, I haven't had any action since Reagan was president. I'm old not dead" Constance said. "So the Vertas have a last name or is it that?" Martha asked. "It's Callon. He has a scar over his eye and he is...passionate" I said. Both women leaned in. "You want more. He's like 24 or so. Sweet. Caring. He just came out of a bad marriage" I said. "24? You're 17! Couldn't you find a man closer to your age?" Martha asked. "Have an open mind Martha. She'll be 18 soon anyway. Hell I was 16 when I married my Patrick" Constance said. Martha shook her head. "I still want to meet this guy" she said. "He...left town this morning" I said. No telling how they would react to a 3-inch man. Might give them heart attacks. They both eyed me. "Honest!" I said. "Next time tell us when he's in town" Martha said. They meant well. They knew how hard my life was. Bullied at school. Loosing grandma.

The day was uneventful. Kaylee came by as usual and I read to her. Only a few chapters left in the book. She looked so sad as she left. Leah eyed me coldly. If only I could rap with her like that queen. The thought of eating the bitch sent shivers up my spine. I raced home after work. "I'm home! You miss me?" I yelled. Vertas sat on the sofa pissed. "About time. I got attacked by a crow when I relieved myself outside!" he said. "Sorry. Forgot about the bathroom thing. Ready to go home?" I asked. "Your world is nice but I prefer things normal sized" he said. I picked up the book and bookmark. "Wait. Is that how you come to my world?" he asked. "Uh...yeah magic" I said. He peered at the book while standing in my hand. "And the people of Lilliput awaited the return of their new ruler. They had many questions on who was to be in this council. Many wanted this position. The question of what to do about the taxes and lands of the nobles was on their minds. Her closest advisor had gone with her to whatever land she came from. The people got restless. Their future was a mystery that demanded to be solved" he read aloud.

"This isn't some magic tome. It reads as a story!" he yelled confused. Uh oh. "In my world Lilliput is a story. My magic lets me go into stories" I said. I didn't want to lie but I was afraid he would reject me and the truth. "So...we're not real?" he muttered. He sat down numbed by the truth. I raised him to my face. "You're real. They're real. Lilliput is real. What you feel for is real. That whispered veiled request to marry me was real. The orgasm you felt when I sucked you off was real. The pain of you taking my virginity was very real. The blissful orgasm you gave me was real. Real is what you make of it. My magic just lets me lest me experience something more real" I said softly. Vertas looked at me and didn't speak. A moment passed. "So my life is just typeset? The whim of an author?" he asked. "The story had me start on a beach on Lilliput a week ago. You remember a life before a week ago right?" I asked. He nodded. "So no. Your life isn't a whim of an author. Think of it as someone seeing something in front of him and writing it down. It's words but the event is still real. Every book is a world unto itself. This magic bookmark is a way to go to those worlds" I said.

Hearing that he began to calm down. "Sorry. It was so much to learn" he said. "Believe me I understand. Think how I felt when I ended up in a land I believed just to be words on a page" I said placing the bookmark on the page. "Let's go" I said tearing off a thread. Instantly we were back in the city. "Astounding" he said. The mass of people going about their day began yelling at me with various requests. "Slow down! I'm going to meet with people right now. Everybody keep calm" I said. They all kept yelling. "QUIET!" I yelled. That shut them up. "I understand you want to know about the tax situation and how sits on my new council but give me some goddamn time!" I said. Fear or understanding caused them to relent. "Good. Vertas. Let's go take care of business. The council first" I said walking to the courtyard. There I sat down and put Vertas on the ground. "Have the candidates come to the courtyard since I can't fit in the palace" I said.

I waited patiently as Vertas led 15 men and surprisingly women to me. "I'm surprised to see women here" I said. "Well a few hoped one of the changes was women could have stature here" Vertas said. "And having a giantess as a ruler would help with that I bet" I said grinning. Vertas shrugged. "Alright. First things first. Economy. Who's up for that?" I asked. 4 old men raised their hands. I motioned for them to step forward. "Qualification time. You there. Why you want this position? What makes you better than the others?" I asked a man in his late 60's. "I'm one of the wealthier men in the city. You have to be good with money to do that" he answered. Nice he wasn't arrested he wasn't a noble. "What about you?" I asked another. "I'm good at investing" he said. I went to the third who was a banker and the fourth who was a lender. Apparently all were well off. "Investment guy you got the job" I said. The other three were furious. "What? Got a problem? Here's why I didn't pick you guys. You there that said you really rich. Bet you made money off the war. Another misery profiteer. The fact you were low on the totem pole and off people's radar is what saved you. The fact you even applied is fucking bold dude.  The lender? A parasite. Fucking period. You lend at crazy interest rates and size people's shit. You're lower than worm shit to me and probably others. Letting you near the nation's wrath would fuck up trade. And as for you Mr. Banker. Managing an economy isn't just about numbers. You need to factor in people and their needs. Taxes too high. Cut spending."

"Trade deficit? Reduce tariffs. If it helps you were a close second. The invest guy here is what I needed. They can see opportunities in the making. How to cut deals without fucking someone over...in theory. No go you three. As for you stay here" I told them. Vertas motioned for more to come forward. Two men and women. "They're here for the education spot" he said. "Who here has kids?" I asked. All but one of the men raised their hands. You go and you three stay. Got to have kids to understand their needs. Reading about it don't do shit" I said. "I have three kids Milady and I'll make a fine council for education" a bold middle aged man said bowing. "Really? What's your job now?" I asked. "I did homeschool the nobility kids" he said. "And you lady?" I asked a woman in her late 30's. "I'm in charge of record keeping and approved school curriculum" she said. "And what about you?" I asked a woman in her early 20's. She seemed very out of place. Her clothes were worn. Her sandals worn out. Her hair tied in braids but slightly scraggly. "I'm....I'm..." she muttered. Nervous or scared I didn't know.

"You're not front the city are you?" I asked bending down. She looked dead at my mouth. Poor girl thought I would devour her if she spoke wrong. "I'm from a nearby village" she said. "Well I wanted it to be open to all. You seem frightened to be here. Why did you come?" I asked. "My fellow villagers asked me to. They think good things will come for them if I'm accepted" she said. Well that's fucked up. They considered her expendable. "What did you do in that village?" I asked. "I taught all the kids to read, write, and count" she said. "You're not going back to that village..." I muttered until the poor girl burst into tears. "Please don't eat me" she sobbed. "Look at me. You never let me finish. I was saying you wasn’t going back because you got the job" I said. The girl stopped crying. "There there. I don't know what you heard but I don't eat innocent people. You know why I chose you?" I asked petting her head. She shook her head. "Because you care for kids and you teach them as best as you can. It's more than reading to them or making them do tests. It's about listening to them. Assessing their needs. Individual needs and weaknesses."

"Just because you taught at a fancy school doesn't make anyone a good teacher automatically nor does knowing a lot of shit. Now having said that you will get help. You there. Record girl. She's your boss" I said. The woman balked. "Problem? I can always get someone else and you can go back to dusting books" I said the woman frowned but nodded at my request. "What about my family?" the girl asked. "Move them here. Rooms in the palace will be made for you as well as good clothes" I said winking. The small girl blushed and bowed. "We got war applicants next" Vertas said. "You take care of that. You know more than me about that" I said. "What about religion?" he asked. "Nobody for that. People can believe what they want to believe" I said. "Some think you're a goddess" he said. "Okay...uh...whatever I guess" I stammered. It droned on and on to the point I nodded off. "Patty wake up" Vertas said. It was nighttime now. "God more of them?" I asked. "No. The last one was science and I took care of it. Go home. Get some rest" he said.

"Think I'll turn out okay?" I asked. "I told them after selection if they took advantage of the positions you’d crush them or eat their families" he said. "That is so mean. I can't believe you said that" I said. "Hey. It'll keep them in line and honest" he said. "We got a lot done today didn't we?" I said. "The pace we're going is unbelievable" he replied. As the stars twinkled overhead I felt him touch my finger. He stared straight ahead as he squeezed my fingertip. "Guess I'll head home" I said taking the thread out. We gave each other a loving kiss before I disappeared. I was back home again and tried to imagine him actually living with me. Could he live here? His size would cause problems with that. He could never leave and that would make the house a giant prison. I thought about this as I laid in bed.

The next day the women at work kept wanting to know about Vertas. I lied and said he was from an island in Greece. They were like schoolgirls as I told them some of the things he said careful to omit some things. "Wish a man worshipped me like that" Constance said. That talk died down as Kaylee came in. She was unnaturally quiet but snuggled next to me as usual as I read to her. Today though we finished the book. As I closed it she burst out crying. "Kaylee what's the matter?!" I said. "I didn't want it to end!" she cried. "Sweetie like all good stories, they eventually end" I said. "But I like it when you read to me! I don't wanna stop that!" she cried. "Kaylee look around you. We're not gonna run out of books silly. As long as we got books I'll read one to you" I said. She looked up at me with red eyes as if asking if I'd promise. I had her wait as I looked for another book. "Here we go. Since you like horses I picked this out. The Last Unicorn" I said. We only got past the first chapter when Leah came barging in. "Let's go" Leah said. Kaylee put her crocs back on and hugged me. When I returned it she winced in pain.

"Sorry. You okay?" I asked. Kaylee looked upset but not at me. She barely raised her shirt sleeve up to rub what caught a glance of. A bruise. A bruise shaped like three fingers. "I said let's go!" Leah said grabbing her arm hard. Kaylee yelped. "You trifling bitch. You gave her that bruise! Let go of her!" I yelled grabbing her shoulder. Leah spun around and punched me right in the nose. I let go immediately and staggered in pain. I could fell blood tricking from my nose. Kaylee was crying hysterically. Martha and Constance ran into the kid’s room. "You again! That's it I'm calling the police!" Martha yelled. "No. Don't" I muttered. "Why?! She assaulted you!" Constance yelled. Leah gave a smirk and dragged Kaylee out the library. "If we do its gonna cause big trouble for her mom" I said. As I stuffed tissue up my nose I explained the situation. "Unbelievable. I always said that family was bad news" Martha said. "I’m hoping this will only last for two more months before that bitch goes off to college" I said. "And what about that poor child?" Constance asked. She had a point. Leah had been caught abusing her. Calling CPS would only work so far. Kaylee would be put in protective care.  Her mom would lose her job and her kid. Leah would most likely get a slap on the wrist at most and have a harder time getting into school. All in all, Kaylee and her mom would lose out the most.

"Things are so much simpler in Lilliput" I whispered. "What you say dear?" Martha asked picking up a chunk of ice. "I said things were much simpler when I was little" I said. "Ain't that the fuckin' truth" Constance said handing Martha a paper towel.  I left a little early and went home. I sat on the sofa dying to feel my nose again. Thankfully there wasn't any bruising or breaking. Still red though. I didn't feel like being bothered going to Lilliput until I opened the book. "And after she decided her council every one of them vied for her attention. Economy wanted to know about taxes. Education wanted to know about the school. Even Vertas didn't know which one to address first. Queen Patty needed to be there to decide what to do" the passage said. "Goddammit" I hissed pushing the bookmark into the book and tearing off a thread.

And there I was in the courtyard. "Come on out! I'm here!" I yelled so loud the windows rattled. In moments the council I appointed came trotting out. They all began talking. "Everybody shut the fuck up! Christ! Education! You first" I said. "Well...um...the thing is..." he kept stammering. I grabbed her by the back of her formal attire and brought her to my face. It was the older woman from earlier. "I am not in a happy mode today so dispense with the fucking stammering. You wanted to talk so let's do it" I hissed. "The teachers milady! If there aren't any nobles, then who do they teach?" the woman blurted out. I sat her down. A reasonable question. "They're going to teach all the kids in the city. We still got those mansions from the two noble families. Turn those into schools. Children from 5-12 one side. 13-16 the other" I said. Everyone was speechless. "All kids? Even commoners?" the younger girl asked. She cleaned up nicely. "Yes. All kids. Education belongs to everyone" I said.

"And who pays for that?!" my economic investor asked. "Taxes do. What’s the tax rate right now?" I asked. "About 60%" he replied. "Fuck. No wonder everything is fucked up. Well we don't need that many taxes now the war is over. Drop it to 35%. People make more money and spend it too. Helps everyone out" I said. He nodded surprised. He ran off quickly. "What's next?" I asked. Vertas walked up to me. He asked me to pick him up and bring him to my face. "You okay? God...what happened to your nose?" he whispered. "Good to see you too. A girl punched me" I said. I saw anger on that small face. "Ahem...now my military advisor. What say you?" I asked formally. "A Blefuscu ship is close to our shore. What should we do?" he asked. "Leave it. It's just taking a peek. Wondering if I killed you all or massing an invasion. Keep in mind their recent enemy has a giantess that destroyed their fleet in the span of time it takes to eat lunch. No surprise they'd be cagey. Anything else?" I asked.

"I did away with the draft but now we got thousands of soldiers without jobs. It's causing problems. Big problems" he said. "We'll talk about that part later. I do have jobs lined up for some. Construction and farming bit with them back the people need to help them. If somebody is looking for a worker spread the word. That kind of thing" Vertas nodded. "There are other matters Milady. Hospital care. Sanitation" the man from my culture department said. "Look! Some of this you need to find out yourselves. This is your nation. Have a hand in it. Christ it's like playing an overcomplicated version of Civilization" I said.

"The Queen is tired. Leave her be" Vertas said. He shooed them away. "Thanks" I said. "So someone hit you. Can I kill them for striking my woman?" he asked. I laughed. "Even if you could no" I said. "Was it worth it?" he asked. "I stood up to a girl who hurt a child" I said. "So it was worth it" he said. "Yeah, she's worth it. A really sweet girl" I said. "What's she like?" he asked. "Her name is Kaylee. She's 6. Little tall for her age. Spunky and very smart. Lonely though" I said. "Sounds like my sister" he said. "Didn't know you have one" I said.  "Did. Did have one. She died some time ago. Karina was her name. A tomboy for sure. Always climbing on things. She made sure I was having fun all the time but she had no friends herself. Wasn't ladylike.  By the time she was 16 she was a loner. Father tried to arrange a marriage but we were poor and common. Nobody wanted to fork over a dowry. My sister got sick with fever and died shortly after. No husband. No kids. I can understand how Kaylee is feeling. If she's like you why don't you bring her here?" he asked. "That's...not a terrible idea" I said surprised.

What could be the harm? Kaylee would love it here and if she said anything who'd believe her? My stomach grumbled. I hadn't eaten since lunch. "Hungry?" he asked. "Yeah" I said. "Well there is something I wanted to talk about. About those soldiers we had issues with. We got a bunch in the prisons. In fact, lately we got a lot of prisoners due to the chaos of the few days" he said. "How many prisoners are we talking about total?" I asked. "Close to 300. Over 2/3 of them for stealing but the other third for violent crime" he said. "Only 300? That's good Vertas" I said. "300 still alive. The royal family executed people every week. Some deserved it but many didn't" he said. "Lead me there" I said. The prison was on the far edge of town. A stone building. Long the shape of an L. About 25 ft. long. "Wow. How many can this place hold?" I asked. "Over 5000 if need be. It extends underground" he said. Vertas sat on my shoulder awestruck at seeing it from above. "Bring out the non-violent ones please" I said sitting him down. I sat down and patiently waited for them.

15 minutes later they stood before me in chains. Vertas wasn't kidding. A good 200 Lilliputians stood before me. Something struck me that angered me. It wasn't the fact that men and women were mixed together (obvious issue there) it was the fact that among the group there were children. "You got to be kidding me! Kids?! Really?!" I yelled. My voice frightened the prisoners especially the kids. "I don't like it either Patty" Vertas said. "What kind of sick bastard chains up kids in a prison?! Look at that one! He can't be no more than 8!" I yelled pointing to a small boy. "They are charged with stealing food or coin. Things were pretty bad" he said. Today I was thinking how fucking tedious changing your country was but now I see I was needed" I huffed. I ordered them to be unchained. "All those under the age of 15 step forward now" I said. It took a few guards to push them forward for none wanted too. Their eyes on either my feet or mouth.

The boy closest to my mouth as I bent down and laid on my stomach pissed himself looking at my teeth. "You kids don't have a home do you?" I asked. About half nodded. I told them to raise their hands. Out of the 30 kids 14 had their hands up. "You will be sent to an orphanage I'll have made. No more stealing for food. A warm bed and hot food" I said. The kids looked at me astonished. They started crying. "Aww it’s okay" I said stroking their tiny heads. Incredible is all I can say when they ran up to my face to hug my cheeks. 1 inch kids dirty and written off by so many and just a minute ago believed they would become a snack for a giantess. Now, they were amazed and eternally grateful at such generosity. "As for you others. You have a choice. You can stay at the orphanage until you get older or you can get jobs and live on your own. Just promise me no more stealing" I said. They quickly nodded. The kids were led off as I took a deep breath. "Vertas. How can people just stand by and watch their kids taken from them? Why didn’t you rebel?" I asked. The guards around us looked at one another and hung their heads in shame.

"Simply put there were others who hadn't had their kids taken from them. Those didn't want to raise the ire of the aristocrats. The way the king controlled us wasn't through force. It was fear. Fear of soldiers kicking down your door. Fear of saying the wrong thing to the wrong person. Fear of the very State you once believed in" he said. "Sounds like Stalin from back home" I said. "Stalin? How did his kingdom turn out?" he asked. "...badly" I replied.

A half hour later he brought out the rest of the prisoners. Sure enough there where a few still in uniform. Tattered and dirty but still wearing it. "How many?" I asked. "92. Mostly convicted for murder and rape" he said. "Who convicted them?" I asked. "High judge Mann. One of the nobles. You killed him by the way" he said. "Wonder how many deserve to be here" I muttered. "Can't tell" he muttered. "Lady I'm innocent!" a man yelled. I motioned for him to be unchained. When he was free, the others pleaded the same. Not all of them could be innocent. I’m not that gullible. "What did they say you did?" I asked. "They claim I raped my neighbor's wife!" he yelled. "The lest have a quick retrial" I said. Even Vertas was astonished as I left with the prisoners in my hand. I had him lead me to that woman's house. I bent down and plucked the door. A man answered. "My queen! How may I...why is he here?!" he yelled. "I'm checking on the prisoners we have. This one claims innocence" I said.

"Innocence! I caught him taping my wife in our own bed!" he yelled. "Really? Please bring you wife out" I said. He reappeared with her. Both were in their mid-20's. His wife was cute. Average height for their kind but had long blond hair. Reminded me of a Polly pocket toy from years ago. "He claims innocence so I'm doing a retrial. Please come with me" I said nice but sternly. They obeyed as they stepped into my hand. Soon I was back at the prison. I sat all three down. "This is batshit crazy" Vertas whispered to me. "There's a point to this as you'll see" I whispered back. "So you say you caught him having sex with your wife in your bed?" I asked the husband. "I saw him raping her! I opened the door and there he was fucking her and holding her down!" he yelled. "Did you hear anything before? A scream perhaps?" I asked. He shook his head. "She told me she was too frightened to scream. Should've known he was deviant. More than once I caught him leering at her. Drying clothes. Washing her feet. Planting in our garden" he hissed.

"And you lady? What happened?" I asked. "I had the front door open to let in a breeze. He came in asking to borrow sugar. As I reached for it he grabbed me and dragged me to the bed. There he forced himself on me!" she said. "And where was your husband?" I asked. "Market down the street" she replied.    I was starting to get an idea of what could've happened. "And you prisoner. Care to explain how you ended up in her bed fucking her?" I asked. "Simple. We were secretly infatuated. Our passion boiled over and we made love while her husband was gone" he replied. "Liar! You raped me! I'd never cheat on my husband with someone like you!" she screamed. Did she just say what I thought she said?

"I've come to a decision. I actually believe this guy. I think you two were fucking and got caught. Made up that lie that he raped you when you two got caught" I said. "NO! THAT ISN'T TRUE!" she screamed. "Patty you sure about this? That’s something to accuse someone of" Vertas whispered. "Oh I'm sure. I wasn't sure until the very last thing she said. See her story has three problems with it. First off she didn't scream. I went to their house. The houses are close together so hearing a scream would be easy.  Yeah he could've threatened her but if he killed her he would been suspect number one after talking to the husband. Second, it's odd that they were in the bed. One of the "plays" I saw once said rapes rarely occur in the bedroom during home invasions. Victim fights too much. Of course all of this is circumstantial until she slipped up at the last moment there. You said you'd never cheat on your husband with someone like him. Strange choice of words. More appropriate to say I'd never cheat on my husband. Meaning you would cheat depending on the person" I said. The husband looked at his wife in disgust. He walked away from her.

"It was wrong! I'm sorry! I'd never cheat on you again!" the woman wailed. "I'll be damned" one guard whispered.  "Prisoner, you're free to go but as for you" I said snatching the woman up. "You almost condemned a man to death and lied about something very serious. "Please I'm sorry! Please..." she was pleading before I tossed her into my mouth. "Please don't..." her husband pleaded until I brought down my jaw. A cracking sound and a shriek escaped my lips. He dropped to his knees as I began chewing up his wife. After the third chew her screams stopped. I swallowed to pulped and mangled remains. I felt something lodged in my molar and pulled it out. A bloody slipper. "I want everybody here to know something. I have no problems with retrying people but you better be innocent. Waste my time or the courts and I'll eat your families. Falsely accuse someone of a crime and you die slowly. I'm speaking to you sir" I said looking down at the grieving husband.

Sometimes I can be cruel but it's only for a greater good that I can live with it. It was a display of gruesomeness absolutely but it did send a message. False accusations won't be tolerated and everyone gets a fair trial. No more bullshit trials where someone who has power and is lazy decides your fate. You follow the law or else. "Anyone else wants a retrial?" I asked. Everyone looked at one another. Only 8 raised their hands. "Sure? Don't keep quiet because you don't think it's worth it" I said. A few more raised their hands. "Vertas set it up. I want a few cleaned up for me. These three and oh make sure to get that one" I said pointing to a young man. Vertas nodded but walked up to me. "Why?" he asked. "Execution time for one. I'm still hungry and they're filthy if you really want to know" I said. "You did say you'd do this. Is it that really incredible to eat someone?" he asked. "You have no idea" I said. In no time at all the four I picked out were lined up before me. Damn I was hungry. Had a salad for lunch but that was it. "You four stand convicted for serious crimes. You have chosen not to be retried. Strip off what clothes you have on" I said. One by one they stripped down. Only one really caught my eye. The young man. Early 20's and muscular. Physically fit but he had a look on his face that gave even me chills.

"Any last words before I pronounce sentence?" I asked them. One man in his 40's spoke. "Can I fuck you. I'd like to fuck a giant woman before I die" he said. "Step forward" I said. He did. I leaned down and his eyes were on my shorts covered crotch. His dick was getting hard. I reached down toward him. My finger getting ever so closer to his penis. With one hand I held him firm as my fingernail brushed his tiny balls. He cooed and groaned until I put a massive amount of pressure on his balls. He screamed and wailed horribly as blood exploded from his crotch. He fell writhing on the ground. I raised my sandal over him and lowered it. The cracking of his bones slowly increased as more of my sole covered his body. Then I put my entire weight down and his blood and organs squirted out the sides of my sandal. I ground his flattened body into the dirt. "Serves you fucking right" as muttered.

"When I said last words I meant words like sorry or tell my family. Not something perverted. You're dying today. Do it with some shred of dignity" I said. Only here could I be the executioner of tiny men. I picked up one of them. He stifled a whimper as I lowered him into my mouth. He didn't fight my tongue or throat as I gulped him down.  The next one only asked for us to tell his mother sorry. For what I didn't know. The last one I saved for last for obvious reasons. The cute one. "I'm glad I did what I did. There I said it. My last words" he said as I picked him up. "What did you do?" I asked. "Killed a guy that screwed me out of a lot of money. He had it coming. So get it over with. Eat me" he said. For him I wanted to more than just eat him. Suck off that tiny prick. Jam him up my cunt. Unfortunately, I was in a relationship now and he was looking right at us. I ended up eating him after all but I was still...unsatisfied.

"That actually hit the spot" I said patting my tummy. Vertas was silent watching the setting sun. "I know that look" I said. "I don't expect you to be a nun but I saw the look you shot the last one. I'm not the best looking man with this scar and all but..." he trailed off. "You're jealous" I said. Vertas said nothing. I picked him up and cradled him to my chest. "Ask me" I said. "Ask you what?" he said. "What you've wanted to ask me since that night at my house" I said. He looked up at me. "Will you marry me?" he asked with a face so serious. I had been expecting the question but still. Hearing it made my heart skip a beat. Teardrops fell on his head. "Yes. I will" I said.

I carried him to the beach. There weren’t any ships this time. Vertas told me he had them patrolling around the island just in case Blefuscu wanted to spy. I sat down and kicked off my sandals. My shorts and panties followed. Vertas wasted no time getting naked himself. He started at my toes. Licking and humping them with his tiny penis. "Little pervert" I said. "Your pervert" he said crawling off my foot and making his way to my pussy. I gazed at the stars as he fucked me. It tickled and felt warm as he shoved the teeny penis into me. My thoughts were on what it would feel like if he was my size or me his. The thought of a life with him until I realized something. Any meaningful life meant I had to stay here forever. Could I forsake home? Leave everyone to live within the pages of a book? Who would I entrust the bookmark too? Suddenly the thought of marriage terrified me.

"Fuck I'm cumming!" he yelled. Vertas was squirting his tiny load into me as best he could. I myself wasn't horny anymore. "Patty? Patty is something wrong? Did I finish too soon? You can insert me into you if you wish" he said. "That's not it. I'm...just tired is all. Wait....was that light out there?" I asked. Vertas looked out into the sea. Other than the moonlight there was a cluster of tiny orange lights. "A ship" he said. "Oh. Guess one is patrolling near us" I said. "No. That patrol ended this afternoon. That must me a Blefuscu ship" he said concerned. "Let's find out" I said picking him up. We didn't think of getting dressed. We were worried it might me an invasion scout. As we neared it we saw it began to move. "It spotted us. Just one ship" he said. I waded faster until I was nearly on top of it. "Stop right there unless you want me to sink your small ass" I said. "We mean you no harm!" a small voice said. My pussy was less than a foot from the ship. The dozen sailors on deck had to be looking at it. "Why are you so close to my shore?" I said with authority. "Fact finding mission. We decided to agree to trade" the captain said. "So you weren't trying to see if the big giantess wasn't massing an invasion or killed off Lilliput?" I asked. He shook his head no. An obvious lie but one I could live with. "All you saw was me and him making love" I said. He hesitated. I couldn't help but chuckle. "Alright. We agree to trade. Send a real delegation this time instead. You don't want me to mistake it for a warship and rape it do you?" I asked. "Nnnnoo...no course not" he said. I waded off and watched it sail away. I made it back to shore and out my shorts and whatnot back on.

"Can you make it back yourself?" I asked. "Of course but where are you going so quickly? You're that tired?" he asked. "I'm going to be gone for a few days to think and rest. All this nation building shit wore me out. Get everyone ready for this weekend. I'm bringing a guest" I said. "Wait before you go" he said motioning for me to pick him up. Vertas kissed me and licked my lip. "Love you" he said softly. "Love you back" I said walking off. The nice thing about being here is you can get to places fairly quick. 20 minutes of walking and I was in the countryside. In the distance near a mound I saw tiny movement. As I got closer the movement scattered like bugs. "No stop!" a small voice cried out. I bent down for a better look. It wasn't bugs I saw of course but tiny sheep. My footfalls scared them. A teen boy was chasing them. "Let me help" I said corralling them with my hands. The boy looked up at me with fright and awe. "You're...real" he muttered. "Very real" I said. I didn't ask for permission to pick him up. I could feel him breathing hard as I held him. The moonlight barely showed me his features.