John had made it down the stairs and into the living room before his exhaustion caught up with him. Carrying the gemstone around in his arms making his arms feel like jello. Finding his way under the couch and collapsing onto some dust bunnies that had collected under it. Cuddling up with the gemstone. Wrapping his body around it as he quickly drifted off into a deep sleep.

Awoken in the morning when the ground began to shake. Startled by the loud banging of foot steps that caused the small earthquakes John sat up and clutched the gemstone tight into his stomach. Looking around and making sure that there wasn’t anything coming after him. Looking for the feet responsible for the booming footsteps.

Looking out from under the couch he saw a pair of nylon covered feet. Stopping and trying to think as they stood directly in front of the couch. Toes pointed right at him. He hadn’t ever recalled Mary wearing nylons before. Squinting his eyes, a bit and looking at the toes. They were painted a dull red that barely showed through the brown nylons that covered her feet. One of the feet slid back. Replaced with a knee. Then the other followed. Whoever was standing in front of the couch had just gotten down to their knees.

Panic welled up inside John as he quickly figured out what was going on. Someone was looking for him. Mary must have called some friends over to help look for him when she realized he was gone with the gemstone! Seeing the hand appear at the front of the couch John quickly stood up and began to run the other way. Towards the wall that the couch was pressed up against.

The hand made a large sweeping motion. Gathering up a wave of dust and dirt along her hand and forearm as it slid across the dirty floor. Her finger tips brushing against John’s back. Making him trip and fall forward. The gemstone sliding out of his hands as he smashed his face onto the hardwood floor. The hand stopped the moment it felt the warmth of his body. Reaching further under the couch. Gently pressing her open palm against the floor. Feeling around for what she had felt bump into her finger tip.

The tip of her ring finger pressed down onto John’s foot. The hand quickly jumping into action as it moved to surround him. Fingers closing in on all sides leaving John nowhere to escape to. Picked up into the stranger’s grasp. Hidden within her fist. John’s world was dark as he was pulled from beneath the couch.

As the hand opened, he saw the face of an older woman. She seemed somewhat familiar in a way John couldn’t quite place. Until he looked into her piercing brown eyes. They were the same as Mary’s.

“Hello there.” She said with a smile. Her voice honeyed and sweet as she gently held John in her open palm. “You must be Mary’s little boyfriend. What’s your name?”

John stared up at the imposing woman as she remained knelt down on the floor in front of the couch. Unsure what to do. It had been such a long time since someone treated him as an actual person it felt strange. Trying to remember how to even speak as he opened his mouth. Making noises at first. Tripping and stumbling over words. His tongue refusing to cooperate.

The struggle to speak received a gentle giggle from the woman who held him. Her sweet smile still present on her face as she patiently waited for John to find his words. “I’m John.”

“Lovely to finally meet you, John. I’m Tina.” She said. Smile never leaving her face. Her eyes studying his naked form. A soft shade of pink forming on her cheeks as she took him in. “And where is your little gemstone? I know you’re not dumb enough to try this escape attempt without that.”

John’s eye’s widened as he looked up to Tina. Swallowing hard as he struggled to process what he had just been asked. The one silver lining of getting caught was that he had left the gemstone under the couch when she grabbed him. The nervous eye’s betraying him as they quickly shifted around. Eventually landing on the couch for a brief moment as fear of Tina looking under the couch again swelled inside him.

“Oh, you had it this entire time and only dropped it when I went to grab you, huh? Well why don’t you go collect it for me so I don’t have to get my hands all dirty again, sweetie?” She lowered her open palm down towards the floor as she spoke.

John looked back up to Tina. Staring. Wondering what kind of trick she was trying to play on him. She simply responded with a smile. There was something about the smile. It seemed to carry a message. A message that told John if he tried to run she would make him suffer.

John wasn’t sure how she could seem nicer and scarier than Mary at the same time as he hopped off of her hand. Disappearing under the couch as he went to go collect the gemstone. Once it was in his hands he pondered staying there or even running away. Playing the decisions out in his head. Neither seemed to end with a good result, but that wasn’t what John was thinking of. He knew what would happen if he tried either of those. Without a doubt he would suffer some kind of torture or death. The alternative, though, was unknown. Making going back to Tina’s awaiting palm seem even more terrifying than trying to run and subjecting himself to the torture of being stomped on until he was dead.

John rationalized his decision to go back to her had by telling himself he didn’t know what would happen. Which meant it could actually be something good. Maybe she would reward him for being good. Maybe she wanted the gemstone because she wanted to release him from Mary’s clutches. Maybe whatever divine beings looking down on him were giving him a way out of the hell he found himself in.

Climbing back up onto her palm with his arms wrapped around the gemstone. Looking up towards Tina’s face. Barely able to see it past the shelf of her breasts. He could tell she was smiling, though. Falling to his knees as she stood and he was lifted up into the air. Reaching down and easily prying the stone from his grasp. Dropping it into her bra as she went into the kitchen and placed John on the table.

“Mary’s probably been pretty rough on you, hasn’t she?” Tina asked John as she began to search through the cupboards. Pulling out a waffle iron and some mix. Plugging it in and glancing over towards John as he huddled up towards the center of the table. “She was always rough on her father too. I told her that even though you little ones come back that she shouldn’t treat it like your deaths don’t matter. She wouldn’t have any of it though. Always killing Ben whenever he got dirty or hungry or if he posed any incontinence to her at all.”

Tina had turned back to the counter. Whisking the mix and pouring it into the hot iron. “I suppose it’s my fault for babying her too much, though. My mother made me live a month small just so I knew what it was like. I hated it so much I promised myself I’d never submit my own daughter to something so cruel.” Turning her attention back towards John for a moment waving her hand towards him. “Oh, but I’m sure you love it. All you boys are the same.”

John tried to speak up. Struggling to get a single word in as Tina rambled on about Mary and her past. He was too far away. His voice too weak for her to hear. Or maybe she simply didn’t care he was trying to speak. So lost in his struggle to talk and shout out for help or to demand some kind of explanation he didn’t feel the small shaking of the ground beneath his feet. A shadow overtaking him. Before he knew what was happening, he was squeezed in Mary’s grip. Brough up to her sleepy face.

He was expecting anger. Bracing for the wrath of the girl he had just failed to run away from. Instead he found his face pressed into her plush lips. A thin layer of glistening spittle covering his face as she pulled him away. Gently putting him down onto the table before going over to the fridge and getting herself a glass of orange juice. Taking a long drink of it before even acknowledging her mother making waffles.

“Hey, Mom. Thanks for making breakfast!” Leaning over and giving her mother a quick peck on the cheek.

“Well I figured I’d do something nice before following up on our little deal from the other day, Princess.” John could hear the smug look on her face as she glanced over to Mary. Her eyes quickly shifting over to John on the table and back to her daughter.

“Wait you were serious?! Well doesn’t matter because he hasn’t even thought about running away from me so-“ the bragging was cut off as Tina interjected.

“Found him under the couch this morning. Gemstone in hand.” Tina spoke with a sing song voice as she flaunted her victory over her daughter. John left sitting on the table wondering what kind of deal was struck between the two. 

Mary narrowed her eyes as they focused on John. He found himself backing away from the intimidating glare. As Mary went to walk towards him. Fists clenched at her sides Tina spoke up stopping her in the middle of the kitchen. “Careful now. You remember the deal, I trust?”

Mary turned. Her fury now directed towards her mother. “You didn’t. You can’t. He’s mine!!” she yelled out with a shrill voice. Her eyes were watering as she yelled at her mother.

Tina simply stood there. The smile never leaving her face as she gave her chest a pat. “Got it right here. He’s still yours, Princess. But only if you keep him alive for a few weeks. Then…he comes to me and I’ll get to do all kinds of stuff with him.” Biting her lip as she glanced over towards John. “And I gotta say you do have fantastic taste in men.”

“Guh! Fine! You can be such a bitch sometimes!” Storming out of the room. Tina picking up the glass of orange juice Mary had left on the counter and taking a sip of it.

“I kind of hope she breaks you. Because I know she won’t share on her own and I do want a piece of that.” Raising her eyebrows and licking her lips towards the poor defenseless shrunken man on the table before finishing the waffles.