As David attempted to process the implications of this new reality, he fell silent in his thoughts again. From there, he was carried into Ariel’s bedroom, where she set him down on the dresser and proceeded to change into fresh clothes. Notably, there was still no shower taking place, meaning her feet were still just as ripe as ever after a full night shift in boots at the bar followed by a night in tight purple socks draped beneath heavy blankets.

            Once Ariel was dressed for the day, her ravishing ginger tresses freshly combed, she scooped her insole-brother back up and skipped for the door. Outside, she took the brief bus ride over to Nina’s block, and stepped through the folding doors just as David’s best friend emerged from her own apartment building.

            “Hey, Nina!” Ariel said happily. With a wave of her fingers, a realistic, cloned copy of David’s “body” appeared in her hand behind her back, right next to him, making him into a matching set of insoles.

            “Uh, hey, Ariel?” Nina said with some slight discomfort, after their previous meeting last night ended in humiliating laughter. “Listen, about yesterday-”

            “No problem. I can take a joke, you know,” Ariel lied.

            “Ha-ha. Good to hear! So what’s up, girl? Where’d your brother get off to? He was supposed to meet me here so we could head to work together.”

            “He wasn’t feeling super well and wanted to stay in bed. Throwing up and stuff. He’s probably sleeping now.”

            “Ahh, okay. That’s rough, though. I guess the “managing” is all on me today.”

            “Guess so!” Ariel chirped. “Oh, I almost forgot. David asked me if I could drop off these new insoles. They won’t fit me obviously, so they ought to go to you!” She held out her hand and brandished the pair of thin, snow-white footwear accessories.

            All throughout this conversation, David had been screaming wildly inside his silent “head,” or wherever the approximation of his brain was in this magic form. He’d yelled Nina’s name over and over again, trying to direct her attention to him. However, not a single glanced was cast his way until his sister held him out for his friend. Apparently, Ariel could hear him, but no one else could.

            “Insoles, huh?” Nina said. “I mean… I already have some in.”

            “He said you’d say that, and also said I should tell you that these are definitely the best, and are the same kind he uses sometimes when he goes for long jogs. So if you want that extra, um, what did he call it? Top-shelf luxury. Then this is your bet.”

            “That does sound like David,” Nina laughed. She brushed dark bangs out of her eyes as she reached forward to accept the gift. “Well, tell him I said thanks, and to get better soon! I don’t want to run that place all by myself, after all.”

            “Oh, I’m sure he knows you don’t want him far away,” Ariel said somewhat cryptically with a wink. “And I’m sure he’ll be with you in spirit today!” With that, and a final secret look at her brother the insole, the redhead made her way back down the block for the nearest incoming bus.

            “Huh. What a dude,” Nina shrugged as she traced a fingertip down the spongy material of the insole. “Not bad at all. Might be comfy.”

            “NINA! NINA! PLEASE, PLEASE, HEAR ME!” David continued to cry silently. He was just about convinced now, however, that there would be no contacting her with thought nor movement. Aside from his awareness of the situation, he didn’t seem to be capable of movement or even interacting with the world.

            At least, he thought that until Nina’s fingertips were tickling along his papery body. From the touch of her skin, David became instantly cognizant of a note of herbal tea soap and maybe a touch of Mandarin orange which Nina had unpeeled for breakfast. So powerful was the flavor, it felt indistinguishable from putting those very same objects into his mouth in human form. All those leafy, fruity flavors coalesced powerfully in his makeshift senses, and though he couldn’t explain it, just as he couldn’t explain how he was able to “see,” David knew it then.

            His sister had given him the ability to smell and taste across his entire insole-body. Not only that, he was almost certain now, after that simple brush with Nina’s skin, that she’d increased his sensitivity yet again. Double power didn’t seem like enough anymore. It had to be at least five, if not ten times, a stronger smell than before.

            Which could only mean one fate awaited him once Nina decided to “wear” him.

            Unfortunately, too, it appeared she was intent on doing just that. Nina obliviously carried her shrunken, transformed best friend back inside the house and kicked off her tennis shoes. Next she peeled out the blackened, grit-smudged old soles from the base of the shoes, revealing the rubbery hovel below. Once she’d put the twin imposter insole into the other shoe, her hand returned for David. He tried to savor that juicy flavor of fruit juice and tea on her fingers as long as he could, hewing it into his memory, for recall after what he knew was coming now, and couldn’t be stopped.

            David’s buoyant body slid into the shoe courtesy of Nina’s giant hand roughly patting him down. There was a casual scuffle up above as his best friend unknowingly tugged back the tongue of the shoe, loosened the laces, and then balanced on one foot as she gently inserted the white cotton sock-clad toes of the other.

            The weight was the first challenge David was forced to contend with. The ball of Nina’s foot, followed by her heel, crushing down without mercy into his form. He imagined before that such an enterprise would be difficult to take, especially after Ariel applied only the weight of her lower leg upon his body this morning in bed. At this moment, he was feeling the full brunt of Nina’s body weight coming down on him.

            She was by no means anywhere near to overweight, but the girl did have a few healthy curves, the like of which sometimes made David disappointed that she was a lesbian and therefore off limits. Right now, he would’ve given anything for that added ass and boob ratio to go away.

            Nina’s socked foot flattened David’s body firmly and decisively into the hardy rubber base of her tennis shoe. There was nothing to be “seen” now save for the ceiling of fuzzy sock fibers in the otherwise pitch-black, claustrophobic environment. If David was still capable of hyperventilating, he would have; he supposed it was lucky he didn’t have to breathe out of a mouth now due to the magic, because he surely would’ve been suffocated by now.

            He could hear the laces being cinched by her fingers. In the process, her foot was lashed and tightened down ever-stronger against his body. It felt like being squeezed beneath an increasingly tall tower of bed mattresses. His shape was literally contouring to her foot now.

            Nina took her first steps and squished her new insole down with a vengeance. Apparently satisfied with the “gift” from her best friend, the girl set out into the outdoors again to make her way to work.

            Being that she was in fairly decent shape, Nina enjoyed a brisk walk to work from time to time, and this was evidently one of those times. David was treated to every roll of her weight from toes to ball to heel, followed by the brief restful interlude as she lifted her leg, and then it all repeated. Thankfully, the sock was relatively clean, with the starchy scent of downy detergent; combined with the same bubbly soap David had smelled on Nina’s fingers, he was relieved for now to realize she’d at least had the courtesy to shower this morning. How long that mercy would last was anyone’s guess.

            Nina arrived at work, or at least this was David’s guess as he heard the creak of a door opening and closing, followed by the difference in texture beneath her rubber sole from concrete to waxen tile.

            “Hey, David!” a voice suddenly crooned joyously inside his consciousness. It didn’t take more than a second of bewilderment for David to recognize that sniveling, giggling voice. “Isn’t this cool? I can talk to you, wherever you are, so you don’t get lonely!”

            “ARIEL!” he cried. “GET ME OUT OF HERE!”

            “I told you, I will later. Right now, I just want you and Nina to have some quality time. So, how’s the view from down there?”

            “Please, please, Ariel, what do you want me to say? I hate this. I want you to let me go. I’ll do anything you want!”

            “Oh, I’m sure you’ll do anything I want, David. But you’re going to do that regardless of whether or not I help you, just because I have this book now, and the words inside it make you my toy.”

            Again on the verge of frustrated tears, the transformed young man went silent.

            “What, cat got your tongue?” Ariel said. “Tell you what, I’ve been practicing a couple new spells over here at home. I’ll give one of them a whirl, and you tell me your impression of it, okay?”  

            “NO!”

            “Perfect!” Ariel sang. “Just sit tight while I say the words. I won’t spoil the surprise, but let’s just say Nina’s about to get a little… toastier than she likes to be.”