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Again, Kaleb woke up.

The events of the previous…day? To be honest, time had lost its meaning to him. Either way, what had happened when he was last awake remained fresh in his mind. Every crushing, disgusting moment of it.

Kaleb stood up as quickly as he could manage, and surveyed his surroundings. Thank god. He was bigger now. The world still seemed unimaginably large, just not to the soul-crushing level of before. He stood on what appeared to be a coffee table, in a familiar living room. A nearby window revealed the morning sun; he must have slept through the night. Kaleb was maybe half an inch tall.

Behind him, two dirty socks stretched up like great towers. Through the holes, Kaleb could see faintly gleaming, ridged foot flesh. The smell was incredibly ripe, matured, he assumed, since last night. A rattling snore burst the silent morning, proving that Emilia was still asleep. Seizing his chance, Kaleb turned tail and jogged to the other end of the coffee table. There was no way in hell he was going through that again.

Despite his tiny size, Kaleb was able to reach the edge of table in only a couple minutes. He played with the idea of shimmying down the leg and back onto the floor, but dismissed it quickly. Being on the carpet would only increase his chances of having another run-in with those rank peds. Instead, he sat on the edge and breathed in the fresh air, savoring it while he could. Kaleb eventually leaned back and dozed off.

Kaleb was jolted awake as he fell from the table’s edge and smashed into the carpet below. He was shaken but unharmed, and inexplicably, a whole one inch tall.

As Kaleb tried to understand what the hell was going on, he heard something very large starting to move. His blood ran cold.

Kaleb began sprinting under the coffee table. He heard Emilia grumble something unintelligible and put her feet on the carpet, causing the table to creak. The table that, to him, was bigger than most office buildings. The thought filled him with even more fear.

But, maybe…

He had been regaining height steadily since last night. Hell, she could probably notice him by now. He hated to think it, but a cockroach-sized man had to be pretty obvious to a normal sized human-being. And she wouldn’t have to distract her this early in the morning!

Suddenly changing his plan of action, Kaleb ran straight for Emilia, who was sitting on a couch. He could see only her feet, as they fidgeted and played with the carpet fibers. Nonetheless, he forged on.

Charging headfirst into the light, he jumped up and waved at Emilia…who chose just that moment to get up and stretch.  

  The filthy sock slammed into Kaleb, crushing his body and his hopes. Fortunately, Emilia had high arches, allowing Kaleb to escape being totally flattened, but his head hurt like a bitch and the wind had once again been knocked out of him. Yesterday’s sweat had dried into a sharp, crystalline crust that poked him harshly. Even through the hard, brittle surface of the sock, Kaleb could feel the fleshy sole wrinkle and flex powerfully.

The odor radiating from Emilia’s feet had soured since he’d last sampled it, though it was now much less wet and oppressive. Kaleb coughed fitfully and began squirming, but he could hardly move under the immense weight and unyielding stiffness of the sock. Above him, Emilia paused and tensed up, but then kept going as if nothing had happened.

Emilia stepped away. Kaleb was stuck to the crusty sock for a moment, adhered to it by residual sweat, but he fell off before she made landfall. Dazed and disappointed, he watched the immense figure recede into the unattainable distance.

Kaleb lay down again, to rest and think of a new plan. He was back on the floor, with no reasonable means to get onto any nearby furniture. He supposed the best option was to go somewhere flat and open, where it would be easier for Emilia to notice him.

He also took some time to assess his own state of being. His naked body was lightly bruised and scraped in several places, but there were no serious injuries. When he ran his fingers through his hair, he found it matted and greasy. His skin was dirty and covered with a thin sheen of dry perspiration.

Disgusted in himself, Kaleb got up and began walking the way Emilia had gone. Ahead of him was a short hallway, leading to what he guessed was her bedroom. Maybe she was taking a shower? That would be nice.

As Kaleb went approached the middle of the carpet, he kept getting the feeling that he knew this place. Every piece of furniture, the color of carpet, even the view out the window, rang a tiny bell in his head. But nothing came up.

He was still lost in thought, trying to remember, when Emilia emerged from her room and rushed toward him. She was unfortunately still wearing the same clothes, and looked just as gross as before. Kaleb snapped out of it and yelled to get her attention. To his utmost horror, she just kept coming. She was putting on a motorcycle helmet, which may have been covering up her vision or distracting her just enough to miss the bug man in the carpet. Either way, her foot bowled him over, and he found himself flying through the air.

He landed awkwardly at the foot of the couch, mouth agape as he tried to draw breath. The shuddering thump of Emilia’s footsteps grew stronger. She appeared above him, paused to finish adjusting her helmet, and sat down.

Kaleb was utterly paralyzed. All he could do was watch as Emilia reached over the side of the couch and grabbed a pair of scuffed-up, black boots, letting them land just a few yards shy of his prone body. She then lifted her foot to her lap and peeled the tattered, crusty sock off. The poor thing dropped to the floor nearby, still holding the shape of her sole. She did the same with her other foot, and proceeded to plant it directly on top of Kaleb.

The fleeting sight of her naked foot burned itself into Kaleb’s mind. It was pink, with a faint dark outline of grime on the toes and heel. The sole was fleshy and wrinkled, and shone slightly with old sweat. In addition to the rim of dirt, her heel and big toe were mildly callused.

The clammy, sticky flesh smothered him, making it even harder to breath. Luckily, her foot lifted quickly, allowing him to gasp for air as he was lifted up with it, stuck. Straining his neck, he saw her pointing her toes toward the mouth of the boot. Only naturally.

The light was suddenly extinguished as he dove headfirst into the confines of Emilia’s boot, and was replaced by the musty, dry stench from within. Before long, he found himself lodged in the gap between her toes and the ball of her foot, his head gripped firmly by her pinky toe. He knew that the pressure from her weight would squeeze his head even tighter, and tried desperately to squirm and her attention. Surely she’d notice something his size flailing around?

But she didn’t. There was a muffled sound as she put on her other boot and stood up. Barring a slightly tighter pressure around his body, he was unharmed. When she took her first step, he was still unharmed. As she walked out in the blistering summer heat, he was starting to realize just how cruel the universe could be. 

 

Chapter End Notes:

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