Mike watched as Molly was heading in his direction again, and was beginning to feel a bit relieved. Past experience had told him she would without a doubt step on his tiny form, and he would get stuck with her and be taken home. It was no big deal, right. That's how things had been the past day, so it would only make sense for it to keep happening. Mike wasn't really thinking though, because that didn't happen. Molly approached his position, but her flat actually landed a few mere inches away from her brother, and the force created actually caused Mike and the polish chip to be swooped away by the small gust, and carried to beneath their table, before he settled down between the shoes of Molly's friend Agitha. 

He heard Molly take a seat behind him, but his view was of a sky miles above, that was really the underside of a table. Moving his eyes he saw Agitha's chucks. Even at his size he could tell they were pretty worn out. He was so close to Molly, and his only chance to get back home, but there was nothing he could do. He was thankful at least that he was still near her, he figured it could have been worse. Lost in thought, Mike didn't notice Agitha's shoe move, until it was already above him, and he watched as the scuffed up sole came down upon him.

Just a few moments ago Mike was nearly eaten by the same girl he now found himself beneath. He found it mildly funny, but altogether discomforting. There was nothing pleasurable about being stuck under someone's shoe, Mike found. He had experienced it before, but at least they were moving, and he had some fresh air. This girl was keeping her foot still, and Mike could only breath in the air of dirty rubber, as it invaded his nostrils too. It didn't smell too well. After a few minutes of blinding darkness cause by this shoe, light and air bathed Mike, as he watched the titanic shoe go vertical above him, before reaching it's peak, and slamming back down onto him.

Light returned once more as Mike got the similar view of her shoe rising, and again colliding with his body. The impact from the rubber sole was brutal, and the floor beneath offered little cushion, but the shoe didn't care, and continued it's assault. On occasion Mike and the polish chip were brought up along with the sole, only to get the full impact as it again plummeted towards the ground and crashed them into the floor. Again and again Mike had to endure the torturous shoe as it rose and fell upon his body, smashing him into the dirty rubber with no regard for his well being. To Agitha, the simple act of tapping her foot was harmless: no one was getting hurt. Though she was unaware of the tiny human life trapped beneath her shoe, whom she was unknowingly torturing with such a simple action. And nobody being harmed, she kept doing it.

Mike was continually getting beaten by this shoe, but, who really cared? Clearly not the person doing it to him. Well, someone must have cared, because a few minutes later the tapping stopped, taking pity on the miserable form of Mike. The giant chuck rose off of him, and planted itself toe first on the floor directly in front of him. He was finally free from the rubber hell he was trapped beneath. The peace didn't last long, as Agitha moved her chuck forward, and in the action, brushed the tiny polish chip Mike was stuck on. It was easily flicked away by the massive shoe and skidded across the ground before taking rest a few inches away--at the base of Molly's flats. 

Mike recognized the shoes from earlier, they belong to his sister. He was back, he was right there, right next to Molly! All she had to do was step on him. And sure enough, just a couple seconds after he landed, Molly shifted her feet, and Mike's view was changed to that of the decorative tread of Molly's flats, as they came down on his tiny body. Mike found himself not pressed against the rubber of her shoes, rather between the treads on them. It was still by no means pleasurable, but so long as it got him home, he didn't care. Of course, it didn't though, as Molly shifted her foot onto her toes, leaving Mike on the ground behind them. And with a simple motion, Mike was again flicked away by the movement, and he skidded across the ground, this time landing in the pathway behind where Molly was sitting. 

The situation hit Mike harder than the shoe had. His sister had just kicked him away from her. He was once again left alone in the middle of the floor. Maybe this wasn't as easy as he thought it was going to be. It was about to get worse as looking ahead, Mike saw a giant four-wheeled monster approaching his position. From what he could tell, it looked almost like a stroller. Regardless of what it was, it was approaching fast, and soon the giant wheel was right upon Mike as it easily enveloped him.

The wheel of the stroller crushed down on top of Mike, mashing his body into the wretched filth it had no doubt rolled over many times before in the past. He was just it's latest victim. He and the chip were easily attached to the wheel as it rolled around a full spin before squashing Mike into the floor again, releasing him. The respite was shorter than ever as the other wheel ran Mike over. It wasn't over yet, though, as the giant orange flip flop of the mother crashed down on Mike uncaringly, and carried him for a few steps before he was thrown off towards the ground, and finally landed atop a shaggy, rough mat.

While the nail polish still held him in place and kept him for being sure, Mike was confident his body was badly beaten at this point. After the whole nail polish ordeal he had been trodden on several times, and was even just run over. His right arm, currently bent and plastered behind his back, was in a great deal of pain. Perhaps the immobilizing nail polish was actually saving him from an even greater deal of pain? None of that mattered currently as something, Mike wasn't even sure, stepped down on him, grating his face against the rough strands of the mat he was on, and dug him a little deeper in. He was still near the top, but he could see deeper in, at least until it turned pitch black. If he was jammed down there, he would never see the light of day again... As if to make matters worse, out of the corner of his eye, Mike saw someone who, he assumed worked here, heading right for this direction carrying and broom and dustpan.

Although he didn't see it, Mike heard the awful scratching noise of the straw broom scraping against the mat. And it sounded like it was getting closer. Mike accepted his fate. Either he was being pushed into this mat forever, or he was getting swept up and tossed with the trash. He saw no way out of this mess. And when he heard the broom crash down next to him, he said his goodbyes as it slammed into him and brushed him off the mat towards the awaiting dustpan. 

But he was never tossed into it. Rather, he and polish chip were caught up in the loose straws of the broom. And he was lifted up shortly, before slamming down into the rough mat, and proceeded to be dragged across it, helping to push the debris towards the dustpan, each sweep threating to toss him in there as well, but the broom didn't let go. And two more times he was dragged across the mat, until it was over, and Mike was given a chance to rest, as the broom was placed on the rack, suspended above the ground, and left be. He wasn't trash...yet, but he was miles away from Molly. He didn't want to admit it, but he was never getting home.

---

Molly took a seat back at the table with Agitha and told her about what had happened. Then then discussed whatever topics they wanted to discuss. At one point, a mother leaving the store was coming through, and Molly courteously scooted her chair up, allowing room for the mother to pass with her stroller. After several more minutes of talking, Molly decided it was time to go home, but before leaving, she remember something. She had to go speak with her manager about taking a day off. She quickly hurried behind the counter and towards the office. In the crowded path in the back of the store, Molly moved aside allowing someone to go through, not realizing she hit the brooms hanging on the wall. After it was done, she spoke with her manager, and went on home.

---

Mike was simply waiting for someone to come and grab the broom and toss him to oblivious, but it didn't come. And it never would come, as the broom was soon hit with a force, knocking Mike loose, and he began to fall towards the floor. But the floor changed, and Mike was now falling towards the gap between someone's foot and the inside of their flat...Wait, Mike recognized them again. It was Molly! And then Mike was happy as he fell into his sister's shoe, and landed beneath the ball of her foot. And once the euphoria of being reunited with his sister wore off, he began to get upset as he realized where he was. And then Molly moved, sealing Mike into the darkness of her shoe once more.

Mike was mashed into the insole of Molly's flat as she began to walk. In his position, her weight crushed him more than before and he felt the difference. His face was pressed into a layer of grime that had accumulated from multiple uses of the shoe. It was minor to someone normal sized, but to Mike it was completely and utterly disgusting. A slimy layer of dirt and sweat and gook all meshed together squeezed into Mike. Was this was people walked on when they wore shoes? No wonder feet smelled bad, Mike was ready to gag. But Molly continued on, oblivious to her younger brother's plight beneath her foot.

After many wretched, torturous minutes, which felt like an eternity to Mike, had passed, Molly had returned home. She went to her room and slipped off her flats, giving her brother the air he most desperately needed. But it was short lived as he was still stuck to her foot, and was soon pressed into the soft carpet as she began to walk. He had to admit, the carpet felt much better than the insole of her flat. It might as well have been a vacation. It wasn't. But it was the best he was going to get for now. 

Mike was shoved face first into the carpet, and soon onto the tile floor as Molly made her way to the kitchen for dinner. Mike was coated with not only the nail polish, but a layer of grime from Molly's shoes. He was nothing more than a mere speck of crud on her foot as she sat down at the table. Once again Mike was with his family for dinner, but once again they didn't even know it. Before he had to deal with Leslie playing with the lint ball he had been stuck in, but he didn't even get that luxury tonight. His existence wasn't even a consideration for Molly, as she showed no regard for the worthless specks of dirt on her foot she didn't even truly know where there. 

Mike lost count of how many times he had pressed pressed to the dirty floor, but it didn't matter at this point. He was resigned to the fact that he wasn't going to be getting any food tonight. He had lucked out yesterday, but things had only gotten worse for him. And they were only about to get worse still, as the night wasn't over for Mike. Having finisher her meal, Molly made her way to the bathroom. After enough battered blows to his body, enough was enough and Mike and the polish chip were flung off Molly's foot and landed upon the bathroom floor as she was leaving. 

Mike, having landed face down, was unsure of what has happening around him, other than the fact he was no longer stuck to his sister's foot. For which, he was thankful. But after a few hours of hearing the occasional person enter and exit the bathroom, action occured again as someone came in, and their foot landed squarely on the minuscule form of Mike and the chip. As it was, Jen had come into the bathroom to take her nightly shower, and had unknowingly stepped on the tiny form of her brother, who was now stuck to her foot as she took another step towards the shower.

Mike was trodden on again as he heard the muffled sound of water running. It sounded almost like...the shower! Helpless, Mike was lifted into the air as with any other step, but his destination changed from the floor, to right atop of the shower drain. Mike was terrified as his sister's foot splashed down onto the drain in the shower, and rather than being crushed, Mike was given the view of the dark abyss that was the drain. In a fraction of a second, the scalding water from the shower splashed across Mike, threatening to release him from Jen's foot and drop him into the drain below. Mike could feel the polish chip around him begin to disintegrate from the water, freeing his limbs, but also his body from the hold it had on the foot. Mike felt himself starting to peel from Jen's foot, desperately trying to hold on to anything to avoid falling into the abyss.

In the same fraction of a second, Jen had placed her foot down and felt the heat of the water, hotter than usual. Instinctively, she reacted and flung her foot backwards off the water. In doing so, she tossed her little brother from her foot, saving his life from falling down into the drain. But Mike was flying somewhere, and where that was was not going to be any vacation.