Instead of acquiring me a new, fancy suit to replace the old one that still smelled of Jackie’s feet, Fulda told me to wear whatever I wanted on this date.  “Helen’s a lot more casual than Jackie is,” Fulda explained, propping an enormous Converse on the ottoman to tie it.  “The whole time I’ve known her I don’t think she’s worn anything fancier than an off-the-rack skirt.  Sounds more like your type, doesn’t it?”

I shrugged and replied, “I guess.”  She was either hinting at something or giving me a back-handed compliment, but I was in no mood to read her mind.  “Honestly, I’m pretty nervous.  Jackie almost killed me without even knowing it, what’s to stop Helen from doing the same?”

“I’ve given her a few more details about you,” Fulda answered.  There was a loud thud and the table shook when Fulda set her shoe back on the ground.  “For one, I’ve made absolutely sure she knows about your predicament so that you don’t wind up underfoot.  I’ve also told her exactly where I’m going to set you down so she’ll know where to look.”

“And what if she came just so she can smash me?”

“Then I’ll smash her right after,” Fulda replied, matter-of-factly.  “Are you going to be scared the rest of your life because one date went poorly?  Come on, I know you’re braver than that.  Plus, it’s at a coffee shop, there couldn’t be a more public setting, and I’ll be at the same table looking out for you.  To everyone else it’ll just be two friends getting together for an evening.”  The floor thundered while she walked toward me, her long strides making the journey only take a few seconds.

“You’re sure you can keep me safe?”  I stared up at the titaness looking down at me, loose bangs falling into her eyes.  She blew them out of her view and continued gazing at me, like she was trying to emphasize just how visible I would be.  Fulda was wearing a tight, turquoise T-shirt with a pocket on the chest, and had eschewed her normal black shorts for white ones that somehow managed to cover even less.  For once she was wearing earrings, just a small pearl in each ear, and a plain silver necklace.

“I know I can,” Fulda answered with a smug grin.  “Tell you what, though: If I can’t, and she ends up smashing you, instead of getting her right back I’ll let her shrink me.  How’s that for confidence?”

“You’d let that happen for me?” I asked in disbelief. 

“Dude, if I let my friend kill you I’d feel that small anyway, might as well live it,” Fulda responded.  “Now, are you done stalling?  She may be casual, but people being late sets her off something fierce.”

“Yeah, sure,” I said.  The butterflies in my stomach still had not calmed down, but I no longer feared for my life.

“Perfect,” Fulda said, reaching down to grab me, “because ready or not, you’re coming.”  Her thumb and forefinger grabbed me by the chest and plucked me from the table like I was nothing.  She lifted me to her chest and held me in front of her breasts, letting them consume my vision while she worked a finger into the pocket.  Carefully she held me over the opening and opened her fingers, letting me drop into the soft, warm pocket beneath.  Before letting it snap shut Fulda winked down at me and added, “No matter what you’re getting to first base today.”

The gentle swaying of her body while she walked took over, and I snuggled up to her boob, just a few thin layers of fabric away.

Fulda’s ample, swinging bosom kept me relaxed while she walked, making it difficult to keep track of either time or distance.  I was about to doze off when the world around me shook, accompanied by the booming peals of a tinkling bell.  Casually, Fulda walked to the counter and ordered, and I did my best to stay still.  The last thing I wanted was to draw attention to the tiny outline in her shirt.

No sooner had Fulda picked up her plain black coffee than a voice rang out from behind her.  “Fulda!” shouted a booming voice, powerful enough to make my innards shake despite years of being acclimated to gigantic voices.  “I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever!”

“Helen, same!” Fulda replied, abruptly turning around.  Before I recovered from the vertigo she added, “I missed you, you giant bitch!”  I expected someone to tell them to tone it down, but apparently nobody wanted to get between the reunion of two giant women.

“Come here and give me a hug!” Helen said, and my blood ran cold.  I tried to scamper out of the pocket before I was smushed, but by the time I had grabbed onto the cloth a shock of blond hair had already come into view.  I gazed up helplessly as her blue eyes followed, focused on Fulda and looking down a little, along with a wall of flawless, sun-kissed skin.  The pair drew closer, and I braced for impact.

A massive object pressed against me from the other side, mashing me back into Fulda’s breast.  Just before all light was blocked from my once-safe haven I saw Helen’s chin glide over Fulda’s shoulder.  Fulda returned the embrace, pressing back harder, and I found myself stuck between two enormous breasts.  Their body heat made the temperature spike and sweat began to form on my brow, though I could not wipe it with my arms firmly held in place.  Severe vibrations filtered through to me while they clapped each other on the back, adding to the immense discomfort I already felt by being smushed between their racks.

After what seemed like an eternity they relented, and cold air filled the pocket again while I drew deep breaths.  “Helen, you’ve… grown,” Fulda said as though the words were foreign to her.

“I started wearing heels lately, do you like them?” the blond explained.  “I can’t believe I never realized before that if you wear six-inch heels, you look six inches taller!”

“Those.  Are.  Adorable,” Fulda replied, emphasizing every word.  “You have to tell me where you got them.  But… I thought you insisted we all come casually for this.”

“I am dressed casually!” Helen exclaimed.  “Can’t you feel nice and relaxed in a pair of big-ass heels?”  Her voice dripped with smugness.  “All right, you got me, I just wanted to be taller than you for once.  Being short’s a good look for you though, you should try it out more often.”

“Believe it or not, I’ve been hearing that a lot lately,” Fulda responded wryly, giving me a quick glance.  “I guess I just make some people insecure.”

Helen stepped forward, blocking my light with her chin while she leaned into Fulda’s ear.  “Okay, we’ve had the hug, now show me the bug,” she whispered.

“Don’t call him that, he’s already nervous enough about you smashing him,” Fulda whispered back, taking a step away.  “I’ve got some time, why don’t we sit down and get caught up?” she suggested, much louder.  The world above blurred together while she spun, and the gentle swaying of her chest returned.  A loud scrape came from the floor and my stomach jumped to my mouth, followed by intense jiggling when Fulda sat.

Two fingers pierced the turquoise cell around me, and the tip of Fulda’s index finger pinned me against the bottom of her pocket.  Her thumb came along soon after, scooping along the stitching, and pinched me between it and her forefinger.  Slowly she withdrew me, then the bulging turquoise wall gave way to the rest of the coffee shop while she moved me away from her.  She carefully set me down on the table and removed her hand, leaving me at the base of a paper cup the size of a grain silo.  “Ta-dah!” she exclaimed, as though she had pulled me from a top hat.

I felt Helen’s intense gaze on me, and I slowly turned to meet it.  She had her elbows propped on the table, with her chin resting on her interlaced fingers while she looked me over.  With the light at her back long shadows were cast over her face, giving her a more sinister appearance.  She did her best to dispel the illusion by smiling broadly, showing a row of straight white teeth behind her lips, but something about it seemed disingenuous to me.  Her eyes were locked on me, and we stared at each other in silence.

After studying me for a moment Helen began, “You must be Fulda’s little friend.”  I nodded at the self-evident statement.  “She’s told me a lot about you, but I’d like to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth.”  She leaned forward, making herself look even more colossal as she drew closer.  “So I’m going to ask you a series of questions, and I want you to answer them as fully and honestly as you can, okay?”  It seemed like she was trying to soften her voice, but that just made it more unsettling.

I gulped so that my voice would not shake when I answered and I could seem confident.  “Sure, go ahead,” I replied, as though getting interrogated by a giantess was a regular part of my day.

“Okay, let’s start easy.”  Helen set her palms flat on the table, pressing her fingers against the wood until the tips were white.  “Do you mind if I pick you up?”

“Not at all!” I replied enthusiastically, hoping to lighten the mood.  “Fulda picks me up all the time!”

“Uh…huh.”  She drew it out and cocked her head a little, chewing on my answer.  After some brief hesitation she reached for me anyway, placing a hand so that her fingers stretched over me.  While I studied the lines of Helen’s palm her fingers clamped down, delicately pinching the back of my shirt.  Slowly she picked me up off the table, letting me dangle between her fingers throughout the ascent.

When Helen’s hand stopped I was in front of her face, just far enough out that each of her eyes could focus on me.  Her nose sloped down below me like a sand dune, and at this distance I noticed the minute wobbles of her blue irises.  Helen rotated me in her grip, inspecting what she could of me, then moved her head around me as though I were a pivot.  The whole time I was dead center between her eyes, and her expression was calculating.

Finally, Helen sat upright again and chuckled quietly.  Her lips smacked when they parted, and she declared, “You’re smaller than Fulda let on.”  She let that hang in the air and followed it with another series of low chuckles.  “Just how small are you?”

“Um, how small did Fulda tell you I am?” I asked, not sure where she was going with this.

Helen’s free hand rose to join the one I dangled from, and she extended a finger until it totally blocked my view.  The finger surged forward and slapped me across my entire body, batting me like a toy.  She watched me swing back and forth, unable to stop my motion, and waited for me to come to a stop.  “That didn’t answer my question, little man,” she declared.  “Now tell me how small you are, and don’t make me ask a third time.”

“I’m, uh, a little under an inch,” I stammered.  “Not by much, though, maybe a millimeter or two, and you’d have to look real close to –“

“You can stop now,” Helen interrupted, her booming voice easily overwhelming mine.  “’Less than an inch’ was enough.”  Her pupils darted back and forth while she inspected me again.  “Do you have a job, tiny man?”

“No, I don’t,” I answered.  “I don’t think anyone would hire an inch-tall –“

“Less than an inch tall, keep your story straight.”

“- a man less than an inch tall to do much.  And since Fulda shrank me before graduating high school I never finished that, and I spent the past six years held prisoner by her sister, I haven’t really had –“

“Does Fulda really think a tiny, unemployed man is boyfriend material for me?”

“She must, or else –“

“That was a rhetorical question,” Helen interjected.  She let out a long, heavy sigh and rubbed her forehead with her free hand.  “I appreciate the enthusiasm, but I really need you to use your brain just a little here.”  Helen closed her eyes while she rubbed her temples, then when she was ready to continue they snapped back open, flashing me with brilliant blue.  “If you don’t work, you must have hobbies and other interests to keep you occupied, so why don’t you tell me about them?”

I waited a beat to make sure that was a real question before offering an answer.  “Not really.  I’m not big enough to –“

“You’re too small,” Helen corrected.  “Use the phrasing ‘I’m too small’ or you’re not really being honest.”

I took a moment to think it over.  Since I was dangling from her hand, I really did not have a leg to stand on to refuse any of her demands, no matter how demeaning.  “Okay then, I’m too small to do any of my old hobbies.  Mostly I just look around and explore Fulda’s condo, since I’m also not big-“  Helen’s eyes snapped toward me and I corrected myself.  “I’m too small to go outside, at least by myself.”

“Hmm.”  Her eyes narrowed while she looked at me, considering what I had said.  “Let me get this straight.  You’re a tiny, unemployed dweeb with no hobbies or interests, and you spend all day darting around your roommate’s feet when you’re not making her carry you somewhere.  That sound about right?”

“That seems a little unfair!” I shot back, but that was the wrong move.  Helen cocked her middle finger back with her thumb and held it there for a second to increase tension.  Suddenly it shot forward, striking me in the chest with a resonating crack.  I flew back but Helen’s grip on my collar remained tight, and I violently swung back and forth while spinning.  My collar constricted around my neck, and I clawed at it to keep my airway open.  Luckily I spun the other direction after a bit, loosening it again, and with my fingers in place I kept myself from gagging.

Helen patiently watched me rotate beneath her hand, taking an almost sadistic joy in watching me go.  “What the fuck, Helen?” Fulda broke in.  “You could’ve really hurt him!”

“No, he’s fine,” she replied, letting me spin beneath her gaze.  “I’ve flicked dozens of shrinks like that before, he’ll be bruised at worst.”  Amid the rapid spinning I saw Fulda roll her eyes, then sit back and cross one leg over the other.  Aside from grabbing me out of Helen’s hand, there was not much she could do.

Finally I stopped spinning and Helen fixed me with an acidic glare.  “Answer the question,” she demanded.  Whatever mirth she had was gone now.

My chest still stung from the blow, but at nothing felt broken for now.  “Hey, this is a date,” I said.  “When do I get to ask you questions?”

Helen chuckled, and it was one of the most unnerving sounds I had heard in a while.  “You’re too small to ask me questions” she answered plainly.  “But since you’re not going to be nice and answer mine, I have another one for you.”  She rocked her hand back and forth, shaking me along with it, and pulled me toward her eye until I was practically touching the cornea.  “Are you afraid of me?”  Her eyelashes tickled me when she blinked, but the situation was too grave for me to laugh.

“No,” I answered bravely.  “Fulda won’t let anything happen to me.”

“That’s a pathetic reason,” Helen retorted.  “What about when Fulda isn’t around, hm?  If we’re dating she’ll be far away, much too far to help you.”

“Helen, stop, you’re scaring him,” Fulda interjected again.

“But I thought he wasn’t scared of me, right, tiny man?” Helen asked.  I shook my head and she continued, “See?  He’s fine with it.  But we’ll see how long that lasts.”

Helen began lowering me away from her eye, running me along the smooth skin of her cheek and chin.  After a long open area she pushed me into her breast, dragging me against it during my descent until I was below them.  Her hand ran me along her body until I was against the freshly-shaven skin of her thighs, where she began swerving me along the path.  She moved me along the curve of her leg, making me slide down her calf and off her ankle, then down the length of her foot until she set me down at the toe of her high heeled shoe.

I looked at my reflection in the black surface, distorted by the curve of Helen’s foot, then back at Fulda’s Converse, one flat on the ground while the other idly made circles in the air with its toe, revealing the broad diamond patterns on the sole.  She seemed so far away while I stood at Helen’s toes she might as well have been on a different continent.  My eyes traced the great length of Helen’s calf, enhanced by the monolithic heels she was wearing, to her tremendous thighs far above where one knee was crossed over the other.  Beyond that, just visible over her bulging quads, Helen peered down at me, grinning.

“How about now, tiny man?” she asked, her tremendous voice almost purring.  “Scared of me yet?”

I balked.  It was one thing to put on a brave face, but Helen’s intimidation was working.  She was so huge and powerful that I would be helpless against her, and there was nothing Fulda would be able to do.  Fulda would have to spend the rest of her life at my size and neither of us could stop it.  “Yes,” I finally managed through a scratchy throat.  “You scare the shit out of me.”

“And that,” Helen began, swinging her dangling leg over her knee.  Her shoe raced down until it crashed against the floor with a thunderous impact, shaking the ground around it and making me stumble to remain standing.  It had landed mere inches from me, like she had carefully targeted it to be a near miss, “is why I can’t date you.”  She slapped her palms onto her thighs with a loud crack.  “I could look past everything else, even the weird attachment you have to Fulda, but I just can’t date someone who’s scared of me, I’m sorry.”

“Wait, what?” Fulda interjected.  She rapidly unhooked her legs, slamming a shoe into the ground to generate another wave of tremors, and shot to her feet.  The ground rumbled when she stepped forward, and Helen stood to meet her.  Fulda took another step until they were almost toe to toe and leaned in close.  “You spend the whole time making him terrified and then duck out because he’s scared?” she whispered.  “That’s some shit and you know it.”

I was trapped between the feet of two tremendous giantesses and could not keep myself from looking up.  While my eyes followed their impossibly long legs toward the sky I began to feel light-headed, and vertigo set in.  The farther up my eyes went the higher they seemed to be, always stretching just past the edge of my vision.  It felt like I was dwindling until I was just a speck to the pair of titanesses if I was lucky.  They appeared several miles tall to me, and I could not believe either of them had held me in their hands just a few seconds ago.

“Sorry, but I don’t make the rules,” Helen whispered back, yanking me out of my reverie.  I was still stuck between four colossal feet, but for now the giantesses seemed more focused on each other than me.  “Besides, I wouldn’t feel right taking him.”  While we puzzled over that Helen leaned forward and wrapped Fulda in another hug, making sure to brush her chin against Fulda’s earring.  “It was so nice seeing you again!” she said, much louder than a whisper.

“I know, you too!” Fulda responded, gripping Helen tightly.  “We should do it again soon!”  Then she whispered back, adding, “If you change your mind just let me know, I really would like for us to have more reasons to get together!”

Helen gave her one last squeeze, whispering, “I won’t, but me too!”  Helen pulled away first, breaking the embrace.  “Call me sometime so we can set something up!”  With that she left, carefully stepping so that I was completely under the outsole of her shoe.  The shock of her footfall stunned me, and before I could even marvel at the immense height of the shoe it was gone.

By the time I stumbled into the white rubber toe of Fulda’s shoe we were relatively alone.  While I gazed up at her gargantuan body she looked back at me, and seemed to almost be sad for the first time I could remember.  For some time we stood there looking at each other, having a conversation without saying anything.  She knew I wanted this to go better than it had, and I understood she regretted putting me in the situation in the first place.

Fulda squatted in front of me, nearly dropping her butt to the floor, and set a hand beside me while she peered between her knees.  Carefully she clamped two digits around my chest, making sure her hold was secure before slowly standing and picking me up off the floor.  I enjoyed the ride up her legs like it was a glass elevator and eagerly anticipated what was next.  Her tiny white shorts and turquoise shirt barely registered on my way to her face, where she held me about six inches away from the tip of her nose.  Wide, icy blue eyes fixated on me, and I gave her what little of a smile I could manage.

“Sorry, little guy,” she apologized.  “I didn’t expect her to be so weird about this.”

“Don’t sweat it,” I replied.  “She doesn’t know what she’s missing.  And for what it’s worth, I never stopped believing you’d help me.”

“Hey, thanks!  Nice to know I have the confidence of an inch-tall man behind me.”

“Almost an inch,” I corrected, “Helen was very clear about that.  Besides, I’m meeting with Li later this week, right?  Maybe that’ll go well.”

Fulda simply smiled in response.  “Let’s get you back home, okay?” she said, lowering me toward her chest.  “I’ll let you stand on my stomach and watch Netflix with me.”  Her fingers opened, dropping me into her breast pocket, and she gave me two light pats to make sure I was secure.  Then she started walking home, and the gentle swaying and jiggling of her chest calmed me down.