“Oh my God!” thought Aaron as he crawled out of the dirty hole. “This is…amazing! I’m certain I’ll find food and water here.” He brushed the thick cobwebs off him and looked around. What he saw was probably the biggest kitchen anyone has ever seen. Just looking up at the distant ceiling made him dizzy. It must have been three hundred feet above him. On one side the wall was taken up by a gigantic cupboard, and the smell of food came drifting out towards him.

The fact that he wasn’t afraid showed how desperate he was. For Aaron, like for many other orphaned kids after the war, life had been a constant struggle. Since an invading army had conquered his city, after destroying much of it, he’d been living on the streets. Stealing food, clothes and money was necessary to survive, and, for a while, he’d been content, if not exactly happy. Until the day he was caught and thrown into jail. The dungeons were located deep underground, where escape was impossible. Aaron spent many days and nights trying to get out of his cell, begging the guards to release him, anything to end his miserable state.

As the days passed he grew more and more despondent. By now he was nearly starved, and he felt that death was close. But then something happened. One night, the walls of his cell began to shake. The shaking grew more and more intense, and Aaron began to panic. Outside his cell door he could see the roof of the cave collapsing. The earthquake grew more intense and cracks began to form in the ground. He tried once more to escape, fearing for his life. But it was no use. In an instant the floor of the cell gave way, the walls collapsed inward, and Aaron found himself falling into an abyss.

What happened next he couldn’t remember. All he knew was that he woke up in a dark, damp place. Water dripped from the roof, but it didn’t taste good - in fact, it tasted like sewage water. There was only one source of light, a faint glimmer on the walls of the cavern. Making his way towards it, he saw that it came from a tunnel. He crawled into it, but soon regretted it. It was stuffed full of the thickest, densest cobwebs he’d ever seen. Once or twice he thought he felt giant hairy feet on his body, which scared him into crawling faster. At last he rounded a bend, drove himself through one final layer of spider webs, and burst out into the light. And this is where he found himself now.

Aaron had heard stories of giants before, but had never believed them. No-one did. Sure, people would sometimes wander into large caves and never come out again, but that didn’t mean…

“I guess I was wrong,” he thought. “I’m in a giant’s house, and if he sees me, he…he’ll eat me, or worse.” He should have turned back, but the thought of free food and water was too great to ignore. And besides, he was not at all inclined to crawl back into a tunnel filled with giant spiders again. So he plucked up his courage and made his way towards the gigantic cupboard. All the way he kept looking around him, but the room was deserted. Perhaps the giant wasn’t home right now, he hoped.

One of the cupboard doors was slightly ajar. Aaron tried to push it further open, but he was just two and a half inches tall in comparison, and he didn’t have the strength. In the space before him were several large sacks. He climbed the nearest one, looking for an opening. There was none, but he found he could reach the shelf above him. Struggling to gain a hold, he managed to haul himself up. And here he found what he was looking for. A chocolate cake the size of a house lay before him. Next to it stood a large bowl, and peeking inside, he saw it was filled with some kind of custard.

“Even better than I thought! I can eat as much as I want, and no-one will be able to tell I was here!” He dug his arms into the cake’s side and began stuffing bits of it into his mouth. It tasted wonderful. Within minutes he was no longer hungry. He should have left then, but he couldn’t resist tasting some of the custard. Stretching as far as he could, he dipped his hand into the yellow mass and began to lick it off. He was so engrossed in this that he didn’t hear the sound of footsteps outside. When he noticed that it was getting brighter in there it was already too late. He jumped down and ran towards the edge of the shelf, but stopped in his tracks. Ahead of him had appeared a pair of giant-sized, bright green eyes. And they were looking directly at him.

Lila knew that the cake wasn’t meant for her, but she decided to have some anyway. She hated that her parents would throw a big birthday party for her little brother when they never did anything like that for her. But he was a boy, and she was a girl, so naturally he got more attention.

“Someday, I’m getting out of this place,” she often thought. “Maybe I’ll go to the lands of the humans. At least they’d treat me with respect.”

She snuck into the kitchen, making sure no-one was around first. Her parents had taken her brother, Galen, out to the market, where he’d probably be able to buy as much toys as he wanted. They could be back at any moment, though. She opened the cupboard’s door and knelt down. What she saw next made her shriek in surprise. A tiny creature, no bigger than her thumb, scurried away from her. It hid behind the cake, and she reached in to catch it. A second later she drew out her hand and examined the little thing, screaming and struggling in her grasp. She laughed in astonishment.

“A human!” she said aloud. “Amazing! I didn’t know they were still coming here; they haven’t been seen here for months. And now I’ve got one!”

She quickly forgot all about the cake and ran back to her room. Once inside, she locked the door behind her. She didn’t want her parents, or anyone else, to know about her find. If they did, chances were that she’d never see her new pet again. He’d be tossed into a pot and cooked, or chopped up and served in a salad. Humans were seldom caught in the giant-lands these days, and were considered a rare delicacy. Lila had tried to eat one once, but the taste disgusted her. And then there was the fact that they looked just like the giants. She just couldn’t bear to see her little human ending up in someone’s stomach.

She sat down on her bed and put the little man down at her feet. He seemed to be paralysed with fear, or so she guessed. She’d tried keeping a human as a pet before, but her father had found out about it, and she was given a stern lecture about ‘how a giant should view a human’, which was as nothing more than a quick snack. This time she was determined to keep him a secret.

Aaron didn’t have time to think. He instinctively ran behind the oversized cake and looked for a place to hide. But in the darkness he tripped over something and fell on his face. Before he could get up he felt a powerful object grab him, and he was dragged out effortlessly. No matter how hard he struggled, he could not break free. He closed his eyes and began to scream. Then he heard a great voice from above, speaking the same language that he did. To his surprise, it sounded like a girl’s voice. His curiosity overcame his fear, and he opened his eyes.

He’d expected to see a hideous, repugnant monster; what he saw was a young girl, no older than himself. She stood at least 150 feet tall, but apart from that she was surprisingly human-looking. Clothed in a simple white dress, her brown hair neatly tied behind her head, she could have been any girl from a human city. But Aaron remained as scared as ever. She was still a giant, and if there was one thing he knew about giants, it’s that they eat people like him. He’d never heard of anyone escaping from a giant’s clutches before, but he had heard stories of people who’d seen their friends captured by giants and eaten on the spot. But that happened decades ago; there aren’t supposed to be any giants left.

As these thoughts ran through his mind, his captor carried him at a great speed through the house. A moment later she put him down on something soft; it was her bed. Just ahead of him she’d placed her enormous bare feet, each one easily capable of crushing him to death. Behind them, in the distance, her colossal body towered over him, greater in size than almost all human buildings. Her green eyes regarded him intensely. He looked around him in terror. On each side the bed’s surface stretched before him, before giving way to a drop of who knew how many feet. He was well and truly trapped. So this would be the way he died. Eaten by a titanic teenaged girl. He closed his eyes and waited for the end. She picked him up, but, instead of popping him in her mouth, she spoke to him.

“So, little human, it seems you belong to me now. I don’t know how you got here, into my home, but you’re not leaving. And stop trembling like that; if it had been anyone else who found you, you’d be dead by now. You’re lucky you were found by the only giant who thinks that eating humans is wrong. You’ll be my little slave, and if you don’t obey me at all times, I’ll hand you over to my brother, and he’ll finish you off. Is that understood?”

Aaron remained frozen in place. Lila repeated the question, a little louder this time, and he whimpered a word that sounded like ‘yes’. She picked him up and turned him around and around in her fingers, examining him closely. She didn’t know it, but her grip was actually quite painful to him. He was just too scared to make a sound.

“Well,” she said, putting him back down near her feet, “we’ve still got a few hours before Mom and Dad come back, so let’s get to know one another, shall we? I’m Lila, by the way, but since you’re just my slave, I think you should call me…hmm, how about ‘my lady’. Yes, I kind of like how that sounds. Don’t you agree?”

“Y-yes, my lady,” he replied in a shaky voice. For the moment it didn’t look like he’ll be eaten soon, so he thought it was best for him to play it safe, and plan an escape later. Maybe this girl-giant might even let him go once she lost interest in him.

“So tell me, human, what’s your name?”

“Aaron, my lady.”

“Aaron? That’s a funny name. I’ve never heard something like that before. Okay, Aaron, your first task as my slave is to give me a thorough foot massage. Beginning now.”

He remained standing where he was, and she grabbed him by the back of his shirt. He dangled from her fingers, sixty feet above the bed.

“You disobeyed my orders, Aaron! Didn’t I warn you what would happen if you did? However, since this was the first time, I’ll let you go this once. Next time however…”

“I’m sorry, my lady!” he cried in panic. “I won’t do it again, I promise! Please, put me down, I beg you!”

Lila looked at the pathetic little thing in her grasp, and wondered why she was being so mean to him. He had done nothing to her, and yet she was treating him like an animal.

“But he is an animal,” she thought to herself. “Sure, he may look like one of us, but he’s so puny. That tiny brain of his can’t possibly think like we do.”

She curled up her legs against her body and rested her chin on her knees. Then she put her prisoner on top of her right foot. He tried to stand up, but she wiggled her foot a little, and he fell down again.

“Now, let’s try again,” she said. “I want you to massage both my feet, and my toes. And,” she added, “if you do a good job I might even decide to reward you. Now get started!”

Aaron took a few deep breaths to calm himself. To say that he did not feel up to the task would be an understatement. Each of Lila’s feet measured over twenty feet long, and were over nine feet wide at their widest part. He lay down and began to rub her bare skin. After a few seconds she told him to work harder, so he did. He pressed his hands against her skin, feeling the powerful muscles beneath it. Once or twice she flexed her toes, throwing him off balance. He moved further forward, to the widest part of her foot. As he rubbed harder she began to encourage him.

“Oh, that feels good,” she sighed. “No wonder dad keeps ordering me to rub his feet for him. Harder, my little slave, harder!”

“I’m trying,” he muttered under his breath. Determined to get this over with, he grabbed her big toe with his arms. It was nearly as big as he was and definitely stronger. Placing a leg on either side, he half rubbed, half punched the sides of her toe. In response she wiggled it up and down, rocking him back and forth, until he could hold on no longer. He flew off and struck against the smooth skin of her leg. Then he slid down onto her foot.

Lila just laughed as he lay there. She pressed her finger on his back and began to rub him back and forth across her foot. Aaron felt himself sliding around, but didn’t try to escape. He was too weak and, for some reason, he rather enjoyed the experience. Unlike how she handled him earlier, this time she was much gentler. He spread his arms and legs and let himself get absorbed in the feeling. After a while she was done with him, and she placed him on her other foot.

Aaron just stared up at her helplessly. It felt wrong, somehow, the way she was using him. Taking a deep breath, he began to massage her skin, less vigorously this time. The minutes passed quickly, and Aaron grew more and more accustomed to his new position. As he moved on to her toes he noticed that he was no longer exhausted like before. He took hold of her little toe, feeling it all over with his arms. He laid his head just beneath her toenail and stroked his cheek against it. Why he did so he could not tell, except that it felt good.

But she did not let him linger. With a flick of her finger she’d knocked him off, and he found himself lying on his back beneath her foot. She lowered it gradually, as if she were about to crush him. But she just rested her heel on the bed, and he had the whole bottom of her foot left to work on. He ran his fingers across the little ridges and valleys of her skin. To her it felt like a light tickle, and she withdrew her foot, laughing.

“You’re not that bad, you know,” she said, retrieving him from her bed. “I was going to let you go sometime, but now I think I’ll keep you around permanently. Just imagine all the things I could do with you!”

“K-k-k-keep me?” he stammered. “Y-you can’t k-k-keep me! I…I’m a human being, and…and…”

“Oh, shut up!” she interrupted. “I’m doing you a favour, so stop complaining! If you want to survive here, you’d better learn your place! And that place is at my feet!”

She dropped him back onto the bed and stood up. Aaron watched, disorientated, as the colossal girl went to a table near the wall and began to look for something. She was so big! She must have been able to crush, not only people, but houses as well, with her powerful feet. Presently she came back to sit on the bed. He tried to scamper away, but she pinned him beneath her toes.

“Where do you think you’re going?” she asked. “The real work hasn’t even started yet.”

In her hand Aaron could see a bottle nail polish as big as he was. Lila removed the cap and set the bottle down next to him. He peered inside and saw that it was full of purple fluid. As he wondered what was going to happen next she handed him a large, unwieldy brush.

“Get to work, slave! I want all ten nails painted before four o’clock. And if I hear another complaint…”

“I know, I know, you’ll punish me,” he answered wearily.

“Ah, looks like you’re catching on!” she said. “One more thing, Aaron: you’ll be standing between my toes while you work. That way I’ll be able to squeeze you every time you do a bad job.”

“Yes, my lady.”

With great effort he managed to dip the brush into the bottle, then pull it back out. The tip was covered with purple nail polish, and he struggled to keep it aloft. Lila moved her foot a little and caught him between her big and second toes. Aaron winced as they squeezed his waist tightly, trapping him. He lowered the tip of the brush and rested it on the smooth surface of her big toenail. Back and forth he moved the brush, until her nail was covered in a purple sheen. From Aaron’s close-up point of view it sparkled in the afternoon light.

“Wow, I’m pretty good!” he thought, and looked up at her face for confirmation. But she simply extracted him from between her toes, redipped the brush, and planted him between her next two toes. So he merely continued as he had before, working as carefully as he could, and hoped she would be pleased with the end result.

Over an hour later an exhausted Aaron found himself once more pinned beneath Lila’s toes. She was inspecting her polished nails, holding up one foot at a time. And, for once, she was genuinely impressed. The human had done an excellent job, better than she could have done herself. And this despite his lack of strength, and the fact that she was constantly pressing his body to hinder his movements. She couldn’t help but admire the tiny, panting, sweating figure lying stretched out on her bed. But then she realized how late it was, and quickly picked him up.

“Mom and Dad will be back at any moment,” she said urgently. “I’ve got to hide you now, Aaron. Just stay quiet, and when it’s safe I’ll take you out again.”

He wondered what she meant, but soon found out. She opened a little cupboard and took out a knitted sock. Into this she stuffed him, before rolling it up and putting it back in the cupboard. Aaron found himself in utter darkness, surrounded on all sides by dense, soft fabric. A familiar smell hung around him - the smell of her giant feet. He moved around a bit until he was sort of comfortable, and quickly fell asleep.

It was the fresh air that awoke him. All of a sudden he was lying on a soft, fleshy surface. He opened his eyes, and screamed when he saw two giant green orbs above him. A massive finger pressed down on his mouth and silenced him.

“Be quiet!” Lila whispered sharply. “Everyone’s asleep, but if you wake them, it’s all over. Here, look. I’ve brought you some food and water.”

She put him down on her pillow. Beside him stood a saucer with small amounts of bread, butter, meat and salad leaves on it. Next to it stood a thimble full of water. Aaron could barely contain his joy. He rushed over to the food and began to stuff it in his mouth. It was the first proper food he’d had in months. The water tasted pure and sweet, not at all like the foul water he’d been given while in prison. All the while Lila watched him in silence, as if she was waiting for him to finish. When he finally did, she gave a little cough to get his attention.

“Aaron…” she began, then hesitated slightly. “I’d like to ask you something. Where did you come from?”

“Uh…from the human lands, I guess…”

“Yes, I know that. What I meant was, where exactly did you live before you came here?”

He didn’t know why she was suddenly so interested in him, but he decided the best thing to do would be to tell the truth.

“I was in prison, my lady,” he answered. “I…I stole some food, and they threw me in jail, and there was an earthquake…”

“Prison? You were in prison?”

“Yes, my lady.”

She regarded him a moment before speaking again.

“Aaron, you know I said I was planning to let you go, but that I actually want to keep you? Well, I’ve thought about it a little, and I realized that it would be best to let you go after all. I really want to keep you, but that wouldn’t be right of me. What I made you do today, well, it was wrong, and I’m sorry. You’re not my slave, even though I treated you like one. However, if you were stuck in prison, perhaps me keeping you is not a bad idea after all. I’ll be eighteen in a week or so. Then I don’t have to live with my parents anymore - I could go and stay on my own somewhere, and I won’t have to hide you all the time. You see, I really enjoyed what you did today, the massage, everything. If you like, we could do it again.”

Aaron’s eyes widened. He couldn’t believe that the girl speaking to him was the same one who’d threatened to kill him earlier if he didn’t work hard enough. Could she really have had a change of heart? Looking around, at all the leftover food, at the enormous bedroom where he’d be staying, he really didn’t feel like seeing that dungeon again.

“My lady…” he began.

“Oh, please, no!” she interrupted. “Call me Lila, please! I don’t know what I was thinking when I came up with that title. I guess I’ve been reading too many stories lately.”

“Uh, okay…Lila,” he went on. “Um, well, you see, it’s…it’s…I don’t know. I’d like to stay, but…”

“Hey, look, I don’t want to rush you, so why don’t you think about it for a while, and then tell me tomorrow? It’s very late, anyway, and I have to go to school tomorrow morning.”

“Oh, uh, thanks,” he replied. It was all he could say at the moment. He had no idea whether or not he could trust her. But in his heart he felt that she really was sincere. She climbed into bed and lay her head beside him on the pillow.

“Good,” she said. “Now, if I may, I’d like to ask one more thing of you today. I’ve got this little itch on my right foot, and I was wondering if you’d scratch it for me.”

“Yes! Of course I…I mean, I’d love to!”

“Really? That’s so sweet of you, Aaron! Now go on, just follow my body until you reach my feet. And don’t touch anything else, okay? You haven’t earned it yet!”

He climbed down the side of the pillow and headed in underneath her blanket. On and on he crept, in the shadow of her colossal body. He wished he could touch her, feel her and caress her, but he didn’t dare disobey her orders. At last he reached the very tip of her legs. In front of him lay her enormous right foot. He began to scratch it, just like she asked. Though she could crush him simply by moving her foot towards him, he wasn’t afraid.

“I think I’ll like it here,” he thought as he massaged her skin between his fingers. “She’s not so bad, I guess. And she does have the most beautiful feet I’ve ever seen.”

Lila shifted a little in her sleep. Aaron could hear her muffled breathing, even from all the way down here. He stroked the surface of her foot one last time, before lying down just beyond the tips of her toes. A strange new world awaited him, and he decided to enjoy it as much as can.

The end.