“Mom,” Aubreigh asked, holding a glass of wine and looking down at the ground in confusion, “what is this?”

Her mother came down the stairs, smiling ear to ear when saw a tiny Asian woman down by Aubreigh’s bare feet. Aubreigh had just opened the front door for her and let her inside. “Aubreigh, honey, this is Kelly, she is going to be giving you your pedicure tonight!” she said enthusiastically.

“You hired one of the tinies from the spa?” Aubreigh asked in disbelief. “Mom, you know how I feel about that, I can’t have her do that. I thought this was going to be a regular pedicure, you know, from a regular person?” Aubreigh caught herself, wincing, she looked down at the tiny Asian girl. “I didn’t mean that as if you’re not a regular person, I just meant “regular” as in someone my size is all.” Aubreigh cringed and took another sip of wine.

“No offense taken,” Kelly chimed from between Aubreigh’s feet.

“Honey,” Natalie said, “the tinies are the ones who did such a good job on my feet, see, look at my toes,” Natalie said, motioning down toward her own bare feet.

“Mom, I know you’re okay using the services of the tinies,” Aubreigh sighed, “but I can’t. It’s just not something I can condone for myself. If I did that, I would feel like a hypocrite.”

“Aubreigh,” Natalie sighed, “if you refuse her services, then you’re not treating her equally. She likes doing this! I mean, come one, she does it for a living for crying out loud. Why don’t you ask her what she thinks, instead of deciding for her?”

Aubreigh looked down at the tiny girl. “Kelly,” Aubreigh said, “may I pick you up?”

“Um- yeah,” Kelly responded, she wasn’t used to being asked that question by a giant.

Aubreigh crouched down on her haunches, briefly resting on her heels as she gently picked the tiny girl up off the floor. The giant teenager held Kelly close to her face, but not too close so that it was intimidating. However, peering over Aubreigh’s shoulder was the foreboding presence of her mother, watching closely.

“Kelly, so good to see you again, little one,” Natalie said, waving her fingers.

“G-good to see you again too, Mrs. Beaumont,” Kelly replied, smiling uncomfortably.

“So,” Aubreigh said, peering inquisitively at the tiny girl in her palm, “do you actually like your job?”

Kelly looked up at the gargantuan face of the teenage girl. She so badly wanted to tell her the truth, but the stern glare of Natalie Beaumont from behind put the fear of god into her. “Like it?” Kelly nervously laughed, “I love it! I love getting to do things for people bigger than me. It’s a very rewarding and fulfilling life.” Natalie smiled with approval, calming Kelly’s fears a bit.

“Really?” Aubreigh asked, looking at her in amazement. “I don’t think I‘ve ever heard anybody say that before.” Aubreigh paused and thought for a moment. “Well, anyone tiny that is. Can I ask, what is it that you like about it? Aren’t you scared? Don’t you find it degrading?”

Kelly swallowed really hard, finding it difficult to lie and say something that was so far against her character and what she believed in. “I like it... because…,” Kelly stammered, looking up at the giant teenager’s eyes peering down on her. “I like it because it’s art.”

“Art?” Aubreigh asked, raising her eyebrows.

“Yeah, art,” Kelly said, gesturing as if trying to come up with an explanation. She cursed herself for not preparing more thoroughly for this before she came to the Beaumont’s condo. “You know, you take something that’s dirty or gross and you turn it into something that’s beautiful and desirable.”

“Desirable?” Aubreigh scoffed.

“Well,” Kelly explained, “it’s just an accent of beauty on the human body that adds a lot to a person’s overall appearance. It adds to their beauty.”

“Hmm, I see,” Aubreigh said, pondering.

“And sure, it’s scary!” Kelly added. “But being this small makes the whole world scary. I can’t live in fear, Aubreigh, I refuse to live in fear like that. It’s just something you get used to.”

“I guess I never thought of it that way,” Aubreigh paused and looked at the ground, thinking about what Kelly was saying.

“And no, I don’t think it’s degrading,” Kelly lied through her gritted teeth. “It’s a great system where tinies can be put to work and earn a living. I don’t mind it at all. In fact, I love it.” This was slowly killing Kelly on the inside.

“Do they at least pay you a decent wage?” Aubreigh asked, sure that there had to be a catch somewhere.

“I get paid adequately to pay for housing and my schooling, I can’t complain,” Kelly said straightforwardly. The tiny girl lied so convincingly that even convinced Natalie thought that Kelly really felt that way.

“You’re in school?” Aubreigh asked enthusiastically. However, Natalie could see that her daughter’s never-ending barrage of questions wasn’t going to end anytime soon.

“What more do you need to hear from the poor girl, Aubreigh?” Natalie asked. “Here you are, just interrogating her while she could be spending that time working on your pedicure, so she gets to go home sooner.”

“I don’t know, I still feel like you should just go home now, Kelly, and save yourself the trouble,” Aubreigh said.

“If I go home now,” Kelly interjected, “then I don’t get paid anything. So that would be way worse than not doing my job.”

“Oh my gosh!” Aubreigh said, raising her, “I didn’t even think about that! I’m so sorry!”

“It’s okay,” Kelly said, hating herself for selling herself out like that.

“Are you sure I’m not inconveniencing you?” Aubreigh asked.

“No, like I said, it’s how I get paid,” Kelly said

“Okay, well, what can I do to help?” Aubreigh said, looking around. “Do I need to sit? How do we do this?” Aubreigh was so flustered. “I’m so sorry, I’ve never done this before, I don’t know what to do.”

“Okay, well first of all,” Kelly said, trying to calm down the nervous giant, “just go sit on the couch and relax.” Aubreigh walked over to the sofa and sat down. Natalie just watched with idle curiosity from a distance.

“First things first,’ Kelly said, still sitting in the teenager’s palm, “set me down on the floor.”

“Oh, right!” Aubreigh said, lowering Kelly to the tiled floor and setting her between her feet. Kelly looked around and saw Aubreigh’s gigantic feet on either side of her. The giant teen flexed her toes nervously and it made Kelly flinch just briefly. Although Aubreigh may have been kind and nice to her, it didn’t change the fact that her feet were frighteningly bigger than her. And they were no less deadly, one wrong move and she could easily be crushed to paste under the teenager’s giant soles.

“Now, I do have some equipment outside on the tram system. I might need some help bringing it in,” Kelly said, looking up at the titanic girl who was looking down at her. “And, since your condo isn’t accommodated for tinies, the tram is out by the end of the driveway, it doesn’t come right up to your door, so it’s a long way to carry all the stuff.”

“Oh, sure, is it easy for me to grab?” Aubreigh asked, ready to get up and get it herself.

“Uhm, actually,” Kelly paused sheepishly, “maybe your friends could bring it in for me? It’s too much for me by myself, and I’m afraid you might accidentally break something. Besides, I need you to just relax.”

“Oh yeah, sure, no problem!” Aubreigh said, looking at her tiny friends and siblings. “Boys! I need you to go get the stuff from the tram outside for Kelly. And be careful not to break anything!”

“What?” they said, taking a break from Mario Kart to pay attention to what Aubreigh was saying.

“Ben, Thomas, and Nate,” Aubreigh said, slightly embarrassed in front of Kelly, “you heard me, go get her equipment from the tram, would you please?”

“Why do we have to-” Thomas said before getting punched in the arm by Ben.

“Yeah, sure, no problem!” Ben interjected, looking over at Natalie who was looking on, sipping her wine. The three boys hurried down the makeshift ramp from the coffee table to the floor and headed for the front door. Natalie laughed quietly to herself.

“What’s so funny, mom?” Aubreigh asked.

“Have you ever noticed how they look like mice when they scurry across the floor like that?” she laughed, taking another sip of her Merlot.

“Oh,” Aubreigh laughed, again, embarrassed in front of Kelly, “yeah, I guess they do, I never really noticed before.” Aubreigh laughed nervously until she realized the front door was closed. Since their condo wasn’t supposed to be tiny accessible, there was no tiny entrance for them to exit through. “Oh hey, mom, could you grab the door for them?”

Natalie smiled. “Of course, dear,” she said, heading toward the front door.

“So, do you know what color you want?” Kelly asked, getting Aubreigh’s attention back.

“I can’t decide between blue or white,” Aubreigh said, sighing. “I’ve had this color so long, I’m sick of it, honestly.”

“Well,” Kelly said, hating herself again, “maybe your friends could help us pick?”

“Yeah, that’s a great idea!” Aubreigh smiled, grabbing her colors of choice and setting them down on the coffee table. “Hey girls,” she asked, “what color do you think Kelly should paint my toes?”

---

“How did we even get involved in this?” Thomas said, irritated. “I don’t understand why WE have to get this stuff, it’s my sister’s pedicure, not ours...”

“Well, remember we want to help them out and stay on their good sides, right?” Ben reminded him.

“Ugh,” Thomas scoffed, “right…”

“Oh man,” Nate said, “the door is locked!”

“I wonder if we could get-”

The floor started to rumble as the towering form of Natalie Beaumont came around the corner. Nate’s stomach sank with trepidation as he watched her giant bare feet take step after step, covering tons of floor space with each step. Thomas was unmoved, he was used to seeing his mom walk around him at his current size for over a year now. Ben, however, had a very nervous energy running through him. For him, being at the mercy of the approaching giantess was creating a very conflicting emotion in him that he’d been thinking about all day since the pool. He had hated being under her toes, but as soon as he was let out, he missed it, and he couldn't stop thinking about it.

Then, all three of their separate emotions suddenly merged into one uniform feeling of panic as it became apparent that Natalie wasn’t going to break her stride. Her next step was going to land squarely on them if they didn’t move. Luckily, they were smart enough, and fast enough, to bolt out of the way as her foot came down right where they had just been standing. 

Natalie briefly glanced down from the corner of her eye as the three tiny teenagers dove out of the way. She just smiled to herself and suppressed a light chuckle. “Watch out boys!” she said sternly. “Can’t ya see a giant is coming through?”

Safe from the crushing force of her uncaring step, they couldn’t take their eyes off the enormous foot that was before them. The flesh of her heel compressed under the weight of her titanic body before transferring to the ball of her sole and lastly to her toes as her step came to completion. All three of their little hearts were pounding, and Nate was pretty sure he might have peed a little. Ben was just as scared, but once again, he found himself incredibly turned on and aroused; he just hoped the other guys wouldn’t notice his erection under his clothes.

“What the heck, mom...” Thomas said, far too quiet and short of breath for his colossal mother to hear. He was way too fearful of what she might do to them if she heard him. The weight from her heel shifted forward as her heel lifted. The ball of her sole and her toes squished down as they received the weight of her step. Then her foot lifted, flew through the air, and came to land next to its colossal twin, settling just before the front door.

Come on, boys,’ Natalie said, fumbling with the lock, “I’m just opening the door for you, I’m not going to do your job for you.”

Any bravado they might have had was gone; it would take some time to build back up after nearly being stepped on. They scrambled and ran between Natalie’s feet, not even offering a hint of protest as they neared the door. The giantess was cursing the fussy lock as the tinies were now standing between the door and Natalie’s feet, waiting to cross the threshold. Finally, the lock clicked, and she swung the door open. The door flew over the heads of the tiny teenagers, creating a vortex of wind that made them fly backwards. Nate and Thomas tumbled across the tile but quickly got back up and darted for the threshold. The fear of Natalie Beaumont was in them and they wanted to be done as quickly as possible.

Ben, however, flew a little further than the other two and, as fate would have it, he landed up against two of Natalie’s tremendous toes. “Ew!” Natalie scowled. “Benjamin, get off my toes and do your job!” she scoffed. “Now!” she said, sternly, wiggling her toes and flicking the tiny teenager away. He tumbled over himself and came to a stop just before the door’s threshold. He caught his breath and stood up. His heart was pounding with anxiety as he looked up at the giant woman, but she only looked back down at him with a cold-hearted look in her eyes. Ben’s heart sank and he swallowed the nervous lump in his throat.

Shaking, he ran over the threshold and caught up with the other two; he couldn’t bear to look back at the giantess. He should have hated what just happened… he should have hated her and the way she treated them... but he didn’t. The feeling he felt from being discarded by her, like he was just some sort of annoyance, only turned him on even more. It was a feeling he really liked. 

But still, that cold look of indignation she gave him after flicking him with her toes was an image that was burned in his mind. Ben started to wonder if he had done something to disappoint her. Was she genuinely upset that he was against her toes? That was something he had no control over… how could she possibly be mad about that? Was it something else? Was it that they didn’t move out of the way for her sooner? Ben didn’t know… but he was worried that she was upset with him and that she wouldn’t “do something nice” for him, like she said earlier. Whatever she meant by that.

He caught up with Thomas and Nate out by the tram system. “What kept you so long?” they asked, pulling out various bags of supplies.

“I got knocked down by that force of wind from the door…,” Ben answered breathlessly. 

“I know…,” Thomas scoffed, shaking his head, “my mom is being a real bitch. And that is the woman you want us to be nice to and cater to her every whim, huh?”

“Well, I didn’t hear you protesting back there,” Ben said.

“Well, duh!” Thomas snapped. “Can you imagine what she would have done if she had heard me say anything at all?”

“Actually, that just proves Ben’s point, dude,” Nate said to Thomas. “We can’t say anything to her. She’s way too bold and brazen now, who knows what she’ll do.”

“I don’t get it…,” Ben admitted. “She said she wanted to make it up to us, that she wanted to set things right…”

“She’s a liar, man,” Nate laughed. “You can’t trust her! You are blind to that cause you have some sort of weird crush on her. But I do think that your plan is a good one. Let’s just play along with her and we’ll be fine.”

“Well, I, for one, can’t wait to get away from her,’ Thomas shook his head. “So, if you think playing her stupid games with get us to that point… then I guess the end justifies the means and I’ll keep playing nice with her… but I honestly don’t know how much more of this I can take!”

“Same…,” Nate said, “but I don’t see any other options at this point, do you?”

“No…,” Thomas sighed.

“So, uhm,” Ben said, with a nervous expression on his face, “she wouldn’t have actually stepped on us back there, right?” He looked at the other two, but they didn’t respond, they just had unsure looks on their faces. “Like, if we hadn’t moved, would your mom have squashed us, like, for real?”

“I-, I-, don’t know…” Thomas said, hesitantly.

“I don’t want to even think about that…,” Nate said.

The giantess’s booming voice called out from inside the doorway of the condo, “Hurry up or I’ll lock you outside! I haven't had anything to eat yet and you’re wasting my time,” she said with annoyance. “I’m shutting the door in one minute, so you have 60 seconds to get back inside!”

“Shit!” they yelled, scurrying down with the bags of supplies. They started running back up the pathway toward the door, their little legs hopped around the oversized cracks in the sidewalk.

“30 seconds!” the giantess smiled playfully, watching them struggle to carry all the supplies. Thomas and Nate reached the threshold first, crossing it with their load of stuff as the giantess watched them with amusement. Ben tripped on a crack in the sidewalk, spilling his supplies everywhere. The other two kept going, passing Natalie’s monstrous feet, not noticing what had happened. Ben panicked and started to gather as much of the equipment as he could, but he was scared and nervous, he kept grabbing stuff and fumbling it.

“Fuck!” he yelled, not knowing how much time he had left. Would she really close the door on him, he wondered. The titanic woman crossed her arms and looked down at him with indifference, sighing at the sight before her. Finally, Ben grabbed all the bags and secured them in his arms. He started heading toward the door when the giantess sighed disappointedly.

“Ohhh…,” she said, “that’s too bad, Benjamin, looks like you’re out of time!” The door began to close.

“No!” he yelled. “Mrs. Beaumont, wait! I can make it!” he called as the gap between the door and the jamb was getting narrower.

“See you later, Benjamin!” she said, smiling smugly at him.

Ben charged ahead with all his might, but the door slammed shut right in his tiny face. “No! No!” he yelled, kicking at the door, pounding on it, hoping that Natalie would change her mind and open it for him. “Please! Open up!” He stood there for another minute or two, quietly beating on the door in defeat before he realized that she wasn’t coming back for him. He set the bags down in defeat and sat down. 

He cursed himself for dropping the equipment. He cursed himself for being too slow. But, strangely, he didn’t curse Natalie Beaumont for imposing a made-up time restraint on them. He now seriously started to wonder if he had done something to earn the wrath of the giant woman. If he had, he didn’t know what it was. And he didn’t know what it would take to get back in her good graces. 

He couldn’t believe the last five minutes of his life. He was flicked like a bug from her toes, like he was nothing to her, then she shut the door in his face with no regard for his plight. Thinking about how she treated him like an insignificant bug made him frustratingly turned on. His manhood was so erect and hard that it hurt. Why did Natalie Beaumont treating him like trash sexually arouse him so much, he wondered. He didn’t know, but one thing was for sure; he really liked it and he wanted more of it.

---

“Dude,” Nate said, “Ben didn’t make it! He’s still outside!”

“Forget him!” Thomas said as they ran together with their equipment and supplies in hand.

“We can tell Aubreigh, right?” Nate asked, almost out of breath.

“Not right now,” Thomas said. “Let’s wait until later when my mom’s not around.”

They heard an echoing click as the gigantic woman locked the door behind them with a delicious smile on her face. She seemed really pleased with herself. She chuckled slightly and turned around, looking down at the two boys running back with their arms full of stuff. Why were they still running, she wondered. They made it in time so what’s the rush now? She must have really scared them silly, she thought. She just laughed to herself and rolled her eyes at them. 

She took one giant step forward, her foot creating an earth quaking boom behind them. That single step scared them half to death and they started running even faster. Natalie looked at them and wondered what in the world they were thinking. She timed her next step perfectly and brought her foot down right in front of them. Her heel landed with a thundering boom and both of the tiny boys ran smack into the back of it. They were stopped dead in their tracks by the wall of bare flesh before them. Falling backwards, they dropped their stuff and equipment spilled everywhere.

“When will you boys learn?” Natalie said, laughing with amusement. “When a giant is coming through, you need to move out of the way!” She brought her other foot before them and turned around, all ten toes facing the terrified teenage boys. “Also, shame on you for not helping Benjamin when he dropped his stuff. I’m actually a bit disappointed in both of you actually.” Natalie put her hands on her hips and shook her head disapprovingly. “Thomas, I thought I raised you better than that.”

“I’m sorry, mom,” Thomas said flatly. He didn’t dare argue with her.

Natalie sighed and dropped her arms to her sides. “Well come on, your sister’s waiting.” She turned back around and walked away, leaving the two boys alone as her footsteps subsided and the vibrations became less intense.

Nate sighed and looked at Thomas who was frustrated beyond belief. “Come on, it’s okay…, let’s go…” Nate said, trying to comfort him. Thomas nodded his head and started collecting his stuff.

When Natalie came back around the corner to the main area, she heard Aubreigh laughing. That was a good sign she thought. “How’s it going in here?” she asked.

“Really good,” Aubreigh said, smiling. “Kelly was just telling me and the girls about school and some of her stories from work.”

“Huh, interesting,” Natalie said. Aubreigh was sitting on the couch leaning forward, talking to Kelly, as well as Carmen, Sophia, Julia, and Chloe, who were all on the floor between her feet.

“Where are the boys?” Aubreigh asked, looking around for them.

“Oh, they’re coming,” Natalie said. “You know how long it takes for tinies to get anywhere.”

“That’s true,” Aubreigh said, looking back down at the floor by her feet. 

“So,” Kelly said, “I suppose, getting back to business now, as soon as I get my tools, I’m going to file down some of the rough edges of your nails here and then smooth out your cuticles and your skin.”

“Man, I’ve never noticed all the little imperfections on your nails, sis,” Julia said, looking in amazement as she walked up to one of Aubreigh’s gigantic toes and began inspecting it.

“Yeah, Aub,” Chloe said, “these are pretty rough.”

“Well, that’s because I usually do everything myself,” Aubreigh said, feeling embarrassed of her feet. “I can’t see all the little details like you guys can.”

“You’ve never seen Aubreigh’s feet up close before?” Kelly asked, looking around at the other girls by the teenager’s giant feet.

“No, not really,” Julia said.

“But doesn’t she ever walk around barefoot?” asked Kelly.

“We’re not usually on the floor, and if we are, Aubreigh stays far away so she doesn’t scare us,” Julia added.

Kelly was in amazement. Was there really a giant that didn’t make tinies do stuff to her feet? Or even tease or torment tinies with them? She realized that Aubreigh really was as sweet and caring as she came off. How could someone like that be related to Natalie Beaumont, she wondered.

Nate and Thomas finally came around the corner carrying Kelly’s tools. “Oh my gosh,” Kelly said, “thank you guys so much!”

“Yeah…,” Nate said with exasperation, “no problem.” They came around Aubreigh’s toes, where Kelly was standing, and set the equipment down.

Kelly felt a little guilty, “I really do appreciate it, guys.”

They nodded at her and then looked at each other. “So, back to Mario Kart now?” Nate asked.

“Yeah, for sure,” Thomas responded. 

Kelly opened up the supplies and equipment, laying everything out. Kelly grabbed a file, it was huge to her, but to someone like Aubreigh, it was absolutely miniscule. She walked over to Aubreigh’s pinky toe and started filing the rough edges, little by little, getting it smoother. Aubreigh watched in fascination as the tiny girl worked at her craft.

Chloe went over to Nate as the girls started talking amongst themselves as Kelly worked.

“So, where’s Ben?” she asked.

“Uh,” Nate sighed, “Mrs. Beaumont locked him outside.”

Chloe had a look of shock on her face. “Why? What did he do?”

“He, uh…,” Nate rolled his eyes, “he took too long…”

“He took too long?” Chloe said, folding her arms in disbelief.

“Yeah, she said she was hungry and that we had 60 seconds to get back inside,” Nate scoffed, “and Ben was too slow. But I think Mrs. Beaumont is just messing with him. If she doesn't go get him, we’ll tell Aubreigh when she’s done, and she’ll grab him. He won’t have to spend a night in an oversized shoe like we did.”

“Gah…, okay, fine,” Chloe said. “I hope that little punk learns his lesson. I wonder if he still believes all that b.s. about her wanting to make it up to us…”

Meanwhile, Aubreigh was watching Kelly work but still tried to make pleasant conversation. But that was hard to do because the tiny Asian girl was exerting a lot of force and wasn’t really able to respond a whole lot. Aubreigh let a little time go by and Kelly moved on to the next toe, her fourth one, and she started grinding away.

Kelly looked over her shoulder at the group of girls talking amongst themselves and the boy and girl in the distance discussing something. And then, far in the distance, behind the kitchen counter overlooking the living area, Natalie Beaumont was watching as she ate her snack. Kelly’s heart sank and she put her plan into motion. She started grunting and groaning, as if the task was monumentally difficult.

“Are you okay down there, Kelly?” Aubreigh asked from above.

“Oh yeah!” Kelly responded. “I’m fine! Sorry it’s taking me so long, Aubreigh!”

“Oh, that’s fine…,” Aubreigh responded, feeling guilty again. “I’m just worried about you; how long does it usually take you to do a job like this?”

“Like this? Oh, usually about 20-30 minutes, but I normally have a crew with me,” Kelly said, putting her head down and kept filing.

Aubreigh paused and scrunched her face, “Oh, well, do you need some help?”

“Oh,” Kelly laughed, “I don’t think there’s much you could do, I think most of the tools are too small for you.” She put her head back down and kept working. She swallowed hard, hoping Aubreigh would take the bait. A few seconds passed and Aubreigh said nothing. Kelly was starting to worry. Then, she said it...

“Well, what about these guys?” the giant girl said, gesturing to her tiny friends and siblings. “You guys don’t mind helping, do you? It would be really nice of you. Otherwise, Kelly could be here all night!”

Various stuttering and stammering came from the tinies as Kelly spoke up. “Oh, I couldn’t possibly,” she said, pausing to look up at the teenage giantess, “unless you really think they wouldn’t mind?”

‘Yeah, for sure!” Aubreigh smiled, “Of course!” Aubreigh looked at the other tinies on the floor. “Guys, could you please do me a really big favor and help poor Kelly out?”

“But we-”, Chloe started to say.

“I know, I know!” Aubreigh said, interrupting her. “But I’ll make it up to you guys, I swear! Just please, grab a tool, and do whatever she says. There are enough tools, right Kelly?”

“Oh yes,” Kelly said, “these are kits for entire crews!”

“Why did you bring kits for an entire crew?” Carmen asked.

“Oh,” Kelly said, “that’s just how they’re packaged. It’s easier to bring everything instead of me just packing tools I need; I almost always forget something.”

“Carmen…,” Aubreigh said, enlarging her eyes, “you’re being very rude to our guest. Just help her out and it will be done soon.”

“Okay, I’m sorry,” Carmen said, grabbing a file. “Where do you want me to start?”

Kelly directed her to the toe that she was currently working on and showed her how to do it. Seeing Carmen take the first step motivated the others to grab tools and ask Kelly what to do as well. One by one, she instructed them on how to use the tools and where to go next and soon she had a smooth operation going. The only one not doing anything was Thomas, who was back up on the coffee table, trying to turn Mario Kart back on.

“Thomas?” Aubreigh asked. “Don’t you think you should be helping as well?”

“I’ve got better things to do than waste my time working on my sister’s smelly toes,” he scoffed. 

“My toes don’t smell, Thomas,” Aubreigh said, looking down at everyone crawling around her feet. “Do my feet smell, guys?” she asked, horrified that her feet might be a tiny bit sweaty.

“Not really…,” Kelly said.

“What do you mean, ‘not really’?” Nate asked with irritation. “Of course they smell, especially at our size! What’s wrong with you?” The others looked at Kelly in disbelief too.

“I mean…,” Kelly answered, explaining herself. “It’s just that I do this all day, every day. I’m just so used to it that I don’t even notice it anymore. I’m sorry I shouldn’t have said that, I misspoke.”

“Oh shit,” Nate said, feeling bad. “I’m sorry Kelly, I didn’t really think about that. I’m really sorry.”

“It’s okay…,” Kelly said, starting to feel really guilty about manipulating Aubreigh into making them help her.

“I’m so sorry guys, I thought I washed them really well,” Aubreigh said uncomfortably, “but I also didn’t realize my pedicure was going to be from a tiny, I should have done a better job.”

Natalie stepped into the room and saw the tiny people tending to Aubreigh’s feet. “What’s going on now, Aubreigh?” she asked. “Why isn’t your brother helping exactly?”

“He said he doesn’t want to, he thinks my feet smell…,” Aubreigh said, clenching her teeth in embarrassment.

“Well, so what if they do!” Natalie looked at her tiny son with irritation. “Do you need to learn your manners again, young man? The rest of your friends and your two sisters are trying to help this poor girl out and you just want to play videogames?”

“I’m- I’m sorry, mom,” he said, heading toward the ramp to the floor.

“I am sick and tired of your attitude, Thomas,” Natalie said, looking at him with anger in her eyes. ‘You know what? No more videogames for you! At all!” Thomas’s stomach sank as his gigantic mom reached down and grabbed the miniature gaming console between her colossal fingers.

“Mom, no!” he yelled.

Natalie pinched her fingers together and rubbed them back and forth, grinding the miniature Nintendo system to dust.

“Jesus, mom,” Aubreigh sighed, “was that really necessary?”

“Your brother has been disrespectful to me, to you, and now to his friends. If you ask me, he needs a little discipline.”

“But do you have any idea how expensive those miniature game systems are?” Aubreigh asked, trying to calm down her enraged mother. 

“When he learns to be respectful again,” Natalie said, flicking the crushed pieces away from her fingers, “I’ll get him another one.” Thomas sulked and moped toward the others. Natalie set her foot down in front of him, blocking his path. “What do you have to say for yourself, young man?”

“I’m sorry, mom,” he said, looking straight ahead at the arch of her foot.

“Look at me when you talk to me!” Natalie said, sharply.

“I’m sorry mom!” he yelled up at her, looking directly in her eyes.

“Apologize to your friends,” Natalie said, putting her hands on her hips.

“Sorry,” he said, but he couldn’t see them over his mom’s foot in his way.

“And apologize to your sister…,” Natalie said.

“Mom, that’s not-” Aubreigh said before being interrupted.

“No, he needs to apologize,” Natalie repeated herself.

“I’m sorry, Aubreigh,” he said, looking up at his titanic sister who was watching with embarrassment. 

“And lastly, apologize to Kelly, the poor girl is working hard to earn a living and make a better life for herself while you just have everything handed to you,” Natalie scoffed, shaking her head in disappointment.

“I’m,” Thomas paused, looking at his mother’s gigantic foot blocking his path, still unable to see over it, “sorry. I’m sorry, Kelly.”

Once Natalie heard him apologize to everyone, she relaxed her stance and moved her foot out of his way. “Now, do whatever Kelly tells you to do, or whatever Aubreigh tells you to do. No talking back. No complaining. If I find out you do any of either of those things, I will punish you even further, understood?”

“Yes, mom,” he said, somberly approaching the rest of the group.

“I’ve got it from here, mom,” Aubreigh said, “why don’t you just have another glass of wine?”

“You know me well, Aubreigh,” Natalie smiled, relaxing a bit. “I’m sorry, I just have had it up to here with your brother… but you’re right, I need to think of a different way to process his behavior.”

“Right,” Aubreigh said, “well, I’ll talk to him about it.”