Hannah looked at the ground gazing at the hundreds of red stains in their footprints, not worried for any of them in particular and asked trembling.
“Do you … do you think she may …?” Mitch stared at the ground too
“No – he shook his head – she must be around here.”
On the one hand he expected to see his daughter normally strolling around like in any other given occasion, on the other a part of his brain was crashing on the idea of his daughter either strolling around like in any other given occasion while her parents were immense giant destroyng the “around”, or strolling around while being just as big as them and contributing in her own way to the destruction.
The anxiety mounted in Hannah’s chest and she started blurting out “Oh God, oh God, we lost our child. What terrible parents are we? Where could she be? Oh God!” Mitch wanted to calm his wife but was suddenly interrupted from a crystalline voice behind his back.
“Mom, dad, come! Look what I found!” Jo was on the other side of the city, behind the hills. Standing on the new harbor zone with something in her hands. Hannah could not hold it and went hugging her daughter creating an incredible trail of destruction through the city and the hills. She held her daughter’s body to her voluminous chest. The girl protested a little.
“Mom, careful, you’ll wreck it!”
“Oh sweetheart, my love, I am so happy to see you. I was so scared. You made me and daddy so scared for a moment. Why did you step away from us?”
“You told me I could stroll around a little. But then I grew and bum! I was naked, and the people were running in all direction. It was very confusing, I didn’t know what to do. But then I saw that also you and daddy were as big as me … well, bigger, as always and I calmed down. I thought it was all right if you were grown too. I wanted to ask you what happened, but first I wanted to explore the city a little more. I was careful, mom, I swear, but the streets were too narrow. I may have … ehm, stepped on something. But I am sorry. Then I found this, which is beautiful and I came back to show it to you.”
Hannah listened to her daughter’s story with a mixture of tenderness and horror. Then she proceeded to look at her daughter’s finding. She was baffled by the view. Her nine years old squirt of a daughter was holding a real life ferry in her hands like it was some kind of toy model. She could clearly distinguish the terrified people on the deck looking at the adult titan in the hope to find a more responsible behavior. She coughed out of nervosism.
“Sweety! Where did you took this?” Asked Hannah worried for the fate of the people in her daughter hands.
“At the harbor. There were other ships, bigger and smaller. Even a cruise ship with the pools on the roof. I liked it all white, but it was kind of dull and too big for me to take. This one instead is just marvelous and perfect to carry. I’d love to make a bag out of it!” She said full of childish enthusiasm. Feelings that Hannah could not share, even if she agreed this particular ferry had a very nice appearance, all red and blue on the base and white and red on the deck to remember the colors of the buildings in the city. Most of which, at that point, only to be remembered through pictures.
“Sweety, look! We can not take stuff that is not ours. This ferry belongs to the company. Then there are people that surely want to go back to their vacation. Don’t you think so?”
The girl looked at the boat, then to her mother again and tried to argue: “But mom, now that we are bigger maybe also our money are bigger and I am sure that for bigger money we can buy the ship!” She seemed pretty proud of her reasoning.
Hannah tried to argue back: “But, Jo, the money didn’t grow with us. Can’t you see? Not even our swimsuits did.”
Hannah smiled with not an ounce less of bafflement for the entire situation she was trying to rationalize while caressing her daughter’s cheek. She wanted to keep her calm. Jo, was the sweetest of kids, maybe a little lonely sometimes, but always focused on her target, whatever it may be. Unfortunately, sometimes she got a little stubborn. Hannah thought it was totally not the moment for a tantrum. Not on the top of the hills between the fair mansions. Not with the ferry full of people between her hands.
Jo meditated for short. Then she added to her mother’s statement: “Yeah, right! My turtle swimsuit disappeared when I grew! And so did my backpack”
“Don’t worry sweety – Hannah consoled her little big girl – we will find another one!”
Jo smiled to her mother and added: “Ookay! But it will have to be the ultra-mega-giga-extra-large to fit!”
“Oh sweety! We’ll manage it, somehow. Now let’s go put back this ship. Where did you take it?”
Jo looked up and pointed at the center of the new harbor where Hannah could distinguish pretty well the passage of her daughter. Buildings were reduced to dust or stood there eviscerated on one side. The machinery her daughter had encountered in her way to her prize was destroyed, crushed to the ground like tinfoil. Of course, also Jo, as careful as she told she was, could not spare her track of victims. Red stains decorated all of her imprints. She tried to figure out a better way to get there and put the ferry back into the water.
“Mom can you hold it, it is getting heavy!”
Hannah, recollected her mind and stared down at her daughter. She was talking of the boat. “Of course, sweety.! Give it to me, I’ll take it back. Now go to your daddy which wants to hug you as much as I want.”
“Yay!” Exclaimed the child, freed from her burden. Hannah held the boat, it weighted less than a bottle of wine, and seemed smooth to the touch. The girl run to her father.
Hannah tried to preach “Be careful where you step on, sweety!”. She resigned to let her go and turned to the harbor.

There was no faster way to get there. She had to pass through the modern districts. She looked at the ferry one more time. All the people on the deck were holding for their life to every possible hang. It must have been a hell of trip until that moment. Come to visit the city, welcomed by a giant girl who thought they were her new toys and now in the hand of an even bigger monster. She didn’t feel the least amount of envy for them. They looked even a little funny, with their tiny bodies and bags. She brought the ship closer to her face, being as slow as she could. They were all staring at her wondering what fate was expecting them. She recognized the crew members, the tourist, couples, families, a whole group of old pals with matching t-shirt. They were motionless. Petrified by fear and anticipation. Hannah smiled, for a brief moment she liked her position. Then she announced
“Hello everyone!” The voice came out so booming that a lot of people fell to the ground holding their heads.
“Ehm, sorry! – she whispered – Don’t worry, I am going to bring you back to the harbor. It’s a matter of minutes.”
Hannah tried to repeat the steps of her daughter, in order to avoid too much damage. But after the second one she heard screams coming from the ship. She immediately looked at it and saw it was a little inclined. She could not look both at the road and at the ship. “If this thing is going to get done, at least I have to keep the people on board safe.” She closed her eyes for a second. Then she started walking again. She could feel the smaller buildings crumble under her feet like they were made of cookies. She could also feel the cars abandoned in the streets opposing no resistance to her weight. She also could feel, from time to time, something “softer” smother under her toes or the ball of her foot.

After ten very difficult steps she finally could feel metal under her right sole. She stopped, looked down. She had crushed the base of a crane. She lowered her body, put her knees on the floor and as soft as she was able to, she put the ferry beck into the water. The ditching was not as soft for the people on the ferry, but after a little rocking the boat stabilized. All the people onboard were safe. They cheered and screamed out of joy, hugging each other randomly. Hannah felt very satisfied for her job. In some way, she saved the day, at least for those people. After a while some people decided to go ashore. Some run, some knelt or threw themselves to the ground and screamed their thankfulness to God, or to the goddess in front of them. After a little while, the engines of the ferries were turned on and the ship took the way of the sea. Hannah could not observe the scene for much longer.

She looked back at her family. Her husband was sitting on the hills like they were a very low couch, and her daughter was sitting on his side, both looking down at the city. She reached them, at this point not bothering too much were she stepped. She sat on the other side of the girl and put an arm on her shoulder. Jo tilt her head toward her mother and rested it on under her arm. The giantess started caressing the straight blond hair of her child. Then she looked at Mitch.
“How do you think it happened?”
“I don’t know. I was wandering too. I mean, it’s impossible if you think at it, but … here we are.” He showed the city at their feet stretching his arms. “It’s like someone cursed us. Or maybe it was some sort of sci-fi stuffery. What can I tell you?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it was something we ate. Those sandwiches at the bar didn’t taste fine.”
“Mmm, yeah, I understand. But also those teens were eating them, and who knows where are they now? It is something that affected only the three of us.”
“Are you talking about something genetic?”
“Mmm, I don’t think so. We don’t share the same genes. At least I hope!” He smiled and continued: “It must have been something different. Something we did, ore something we consumed. Something at home maybe?”
“Yes, you’re right! But it could have been anything back at home.”
After a short pause Hannah saw her husband gazing in the distance.
“Hey, what are you thinking of?” she asked.
“Mimi! Mimi and Zach! They are at home.”
“Oh God! I forgot about them! How lucky it is! They are far away from this mess!” Also Mitch was reassured by the thought.
“Do you think they … they could have had any idea of … us? I mean, us ... like this?” Mitch asked with a worried tone.
Hannah looked at him and seemed uncertain. “I don’t know. We have been … this big for a while now. And we didn’t go easy on the city. If it didn’t happen until now, it is going to happen soon. Oh God! We will be the opening in every news. Giant monsters attack the city!” Hannah put her head between her hands
“Right! … Well, it surely won’t sound well at the next job interview!” Mitch tried to console her. It worked a little, she laughed.
“No, it won’t for sure.” Her smile faded and she looked back at the city.